Samuda stays firm

In spite of the USA Track and Field (USATF) calls for the postponement of the Olympic Games, Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) president Christopher Samuda says that his organisation is not in a position at this point to join those calls, and he is urging local athletes to remain in training.

USATF became the second American sports governing body in two days to urge Olympic officials to postpone the Games, which the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has insisted will go ahead as scheduled despite the global coronavirus pandemic. However, Samuda believes that it is too early for his association to take a stance against the IOC.

“Our position remains the same – that we are monitoring the situation very carefully in the interest of our athletes, and we will be coming to a decision, perhaps next month, when we have more information, particularly from the medical experts and from the World Health Organization,” said Samuda. “At this stage, our position remains the same: that our athletes must prepare,” he said.

AWAITING FINAL DECISION

“We understand perfectly the challenges that they are going through in terms of the disruption of training, the closure of training centres, the postponement of tournaments and track meets, but we are saying to them, continue to prepare as best as you can in the circumstances as we await a final decision,” Samuda said.

The virus, with just under 289,000 cases recorded globally and over 11,000 deaths worldwide, has forced the postponement of many sporting events around the world.

The JOA boss underlined the fact that the IOC president said that they are monitoring the situation carefully because the Games are four months away, and so there is no need for a postponement or cancellation at this time.

“We have had discussions with the IOC president, other (Olympic association) presidents, and myself in a video conference, and he has assured us that the authorities, globally, will be able to bring the virus under control, and he has indicated quite clearly that there should be no move to make any drastic decisions now,” said Samuda. He added that the IOC president asked them to carefully evaluate the situation on a day-to-day basis and “do all within our powers in our respective territories to collaborate with governments and head authorities to contain the spread of the virus”.