Katerina Stefanidi demands a Plan B in light of recent events. FMTNews KaterinaStefanidi
ATHENS: The International Olympic Committee is putting the health of elite athletes at risk by telling them to continue training for the Tokyo 2020 Games as the coronavirus rages, reigning Olympic pole vault champion Katerina Stefanidi told Reuters on Tuesday.
Stefanidi’s comments were echoed by Britain’s heptathlon world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who said she is returning home from a locked-down France and feels under pressure to train. The virus, which has so far infected close to 200,000 people worldwide and killed more than 7,500, has forced many countries into lockdown to contain it.“From January until now the situation has deteriorated dramatically and in the same period the IOC has repeated the same things,” she said.
“The IOC put us in a difficult position. How can we train in these conditions and these health risks,” Stefanidi, who is also a candidate for the IOC’s athletes commission at elections set for the Tokyo Games, said.
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