{"id":423075,"date":"2020-03-19T00:08:43","date_gmt":"2020-03-19T07:08:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=423075"},"modified":"2020-03-19T07:40:43","modified_gmt":"2020-03-19T14:40:43","slug":"as-athletes-scramble-2021-olympics-looks-more-enticing-ap-column","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/as-athletes-scramble-2021-olympics-looks-more-enticing-ap-column\/","title":{"rendered":"Bob Bowman, Frank Busch Back Postponement As 2021 Olympics Gains Ground"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIf they did postpone it, it would take a lot of pressure off this situation right now,\u201d – Bob Bowman<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIn my very humble option, I really do feel the Olympics should be canceled,\u201d – Frank Busch<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to the coronavirus pandemic is looking increasingly likely. As athletes try to secure their short-term training and long-term health, moving the Games to 2021 would go a long way toward easing the pain, argues Associated Press columnist<\/a> Paul Newberry<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t a decision to be taken lightly, with the only three Olympic postponements in history (1916, 1940 and 1944) occurring due to world wars. But with athletes facing the same fears as anyone else in light of the deadly COVID-19 on top of attempting to maintain elite training and scrape together already perilous financial livings as athletes, moving the games would help relieve stress.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they did postpone it, it would take a lot of pressure off this situation right now,\u201d swimming coach Bob Bowman<\/strong> told the AP. \u201cPeople are scrambling. Most people are not training. If we had a little more time to get ready, that would probably be a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frank Busch<\/strong> took a similar stance in a conversation with tuscon.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIn my very humble option, I really do feel the Olympics should be canceled,\u201d Busch, USA Swimming\u2019s National Team director at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, told columnist Greg Hansen<\/strong>. \u201cAnd I think the USOC should be the leader on that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The IOC has tried to put off a decision on the 2020 Olympics, set to start July 24, trying not to make \u201cany drastic decisions<\/a>\u201d in light of the monumental investment in the event made by Japan. But with a pair of international soccer tournaments<\/a>, the European Championships and Copa America, being postponed until 2021, there is precedent for the switch.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are in solidarity with the whole of society to do everything to contain the virus,\u201d the IOC said in a statement Tuesday following meetings. \u201cThe situation around the COVID-19 virus is also impacting the preparations for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and is changing day by day.\u201d<\/p>\n

The challenge is particularly pronounced in a sport like swimming, where intensive training is required to even qualify for the Games. A decision on the 2020 Olympics would ripple through each country\u2019s various qualification meets, almost all of which have been postponed or cancelled. With delicate training schedules sketched out months or years in advance, the idea that a passable Olympics could be held at a moment\u2019s notice is tough to swallow<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the time when you\u2019re hoping to see progression from one meet to the next, something that\u2019s closer to the final product,\u201d Bowman said. \u201cYou\u2019re kind of testing some things like race strategy. You want to see these little rehearsals for the big show. \u2026 It\u2019s probably more important than the training, to be honest. That\u2019s what makes the training so meaningful, when you\u2019re able to learn something at the last meet and then go work on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Busch understands the appeal of an Olympics in 2021, particularly given the training disruptions for swimmers who are battling to keep themselves safe from a deadly virus much less find places to train at their peak.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt just seems to me we\u2019re putting so much pressure on the athletes, coaches and facilities,” Busch said. “I don\u2019t see any leadership here in any way, shape or form. Given the health issues before us, the Olympics are such a small thing in the world right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Extraordinary Events In Swimming History:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Italy, France, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Brazil and Japan have all had major meets affected by the coronavirus pandemic, while in the United States, the NCAA Championships have been cancelled and USA Swimming has imposed a 30-day suspension on all events, while Canada is considering what to do about its Olympic trials early next month. In Italy, where swimmers are struggling to maintain normal routines, can\u2019t get to practice and in some cases find pool time, a #stopolympics campaign was launched by the Nuoto\u00a0website<\/a> calling on solidarity among swimming nations to recognise that Olympic preparations have been blown off course and that it would be in the interests of fairness to postpone the Games for a time of calm beyond the coronavirus crisis.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Our coverage:<\/em><\/p>\n