'If the worst happens': Swimming Australia eyes Plan B in case of Tokyo cancellation
Olympics
Swimming Australia has already started making a 'Plan B' just in case the Tokyo Games get cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic. As per Kieren Perkins, who is the President of Swimming Australia, the team has started discussions about a replacement domestic or virtual international competition for its athletes.
ALSO READ:IOC reacts to reports of Tokyo Olympics getting cancelled, says it is 'categorically untrue'
Former Aussie gold-medalist Perkins said that he had a "little moment of panic" on Friday after reports emerged that the Japanese government privately concluded the Games would have to be cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Suga government issued a clarification and said that the Games will go ahead as planned.
"If the worst happens and Tokyo is cancelled, for our athletes who have had the opportunity to prepare and work so hard for so long to get to this moment, I think it behoves us to give them the best chance to at least test themselves and see what that work has created," he told the Australian newspaper.
"We are preparing on the basis that this is happening so our swimmers will be ready, our trials are going ahead. If the Games themselves are cancelled, what can we do to take advantage of the fact that our athletes are ready?
ALSO READ:Tokyo Olympics cancelled? Japanese government issues clarification
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"It is an open question ... whether we run our own meet or maybe we could do a virtual meet with some of our major competition. It is an open question mark at the moment, but we will prepare and have alternate plans."
Twice Olympic sprint relay champion Cate Campbell told the paper she thought it was a "wonderful idea", even if she desperately wanted to swim at her fourth Olympics in Tokyo.
"I think one of the benefits of having an ex-athlete as our current president is that he thinks of things like that," said the 28-year-old.
"Will it be the same? Absolutely not. But it is something worth exploring and asking athletes if it is something they would like to do, absolutely."
The Games are scheduled to be played between July and August this year.
(Inputs from Reuters)