Dick Pound, a veteran member of the International Olympic Committee, believes that only “real upheaval” could force the postponement of the Beijing Olympics. “In almost every way the arrow has left the bow,” he asserted.
In an interview with USA TodayOn Tuesday, Dick Pound said he was convinced that the Beijing Olympics will indeed take place despite the outbreak of COVID-19 cases around the world. However, he did not completely close the door to the possibility of canceling or postponing the event.
“I think there will be some uncertainty around the Games among the public as long as the ship is sailing, but for now the moorings are cast off and the ship is leaving the dock, unless Armageddon does happen and the authorities health officials say we must shut down all countries, he said. In this case, it would change the whole paradigm. ”
The 79-year-old is the first IOC member to even raise the possibility that the event will not take place from February 4. Asked what were the chances of this happening, he replied “very slim”.
“It’s crazy to try to put a number on it,” he added. It is a possibility that cannot be totally ruled out, but there are not whole countries saying that we should not go. It’s a shame that an athlete X is hors de combat, but you still have a few hundred athletes who are not. ”
“The concern concerns all the people who are not yet in China, if, one by one, they have to withdraw and you lose a bobsledder here, a skater there,” he said. If you got to the point where there were only Chinese athletes, then no, it wouldn’t be the Olympics and they wouldn’t be recognized as such. ”
About David Shoemaker
“We are concerned,” said Canadian Olympic Committee CEO David Shoemaker on Monday. “We are confident that these Games can still be played safely, but we are taking it day by day,” he added.
Asked about this, Dick Pound argued that it was normal for CEOs of National Olympic Committees to recognize the magnitude of the situation.
“If I had been in his shoes, that’s what I would have said,” he said. If you are the CEO of a National Olympic Committee, you must be able not to ignore the possibility that the Games will be canceled. ”
“There’s no indication it’s going to happen,” Pound continued. But we have never experienced anything of this nature before. [Le variant Omicron] is definitely going around the world, and more and more people are traveling, so more people are able to catch or spread the virus, so yes of course you have to say “we are concerned about health and safety of our team ””.
Nothing is normal in the world of Canadian sport recently. Certain important pre-Olympic competitions, such as the Canadian long track selections, had to be canceled, which upset the usual procedures.
Two weeks ago, the National Hockey League and the Players’ Association (AJLNH) agreed to waive the participation of players in the Olympic Games. Last week, the Canadian Bobsleigh Federation placed 10 of its athletes and three staff on COVID-19 protocol. Canadian figure skating couple Vanessa James and Eric Radford revealed on Tuesday they tested positive over the holiday season and said they didn’t know if they would be able to compete in the next Olympic trials. And the list continues.
“There will certainly be athletes competing [dans les prochaines semaines] and cases will arise, Dick Pound said. The question is: how many will they be and does that amount to a tsunami that tells us that it is no longer possible to hold the Olympics? ”