Tokyo Olympics should be delayed until 2024, says Sir Matthew Pinsent as 80% of Japan demand 2021 Games do not go ahead
OLYMPIC legend Sir Matthew Pinsent has argued the Tokyo Games be delayed until 2024.
Pinsent, a four-time gold medal winner, believes it is not viable for the delayed 2020 event to take place this summer in the Japanese capital as Covid waves still run around the planet.
Instead, the rowing great feels the entire Olympic cycle should be reset, with Tokyo staging the event planned for Paris in three year’s time, and the Los Angeles Games put back from 2028 to 2032.
Writing on Twitter, in response to a survey that found 80 per cent of the Japanese public do not want the Games to go ahead, Pinsent said: “Once again the International Olympic Committee needs courageous leadership.
“The idea of Olympic athletes/officials/delegations getting vaccine priority is antithetical.
“And the risks of an event with thousands of people flying round the world to gather unvaccinated is ludicrous.
“My own view is that the Summer Olympic queue should be asked to shift, with Tokyo given the option of delaying until 2024, Paris moved to ‘28 and LA 2032.
“The athletes lose an Olympics but that’s looking likelier by the day.”
Sir Matthew added: “I think we can say with a degree of confidence now that the world’s population are not going to be vaccinated by northern hemisphere summer 2022.
“A portion of the Tokyo contracts would have to be broken or rolled over but it would stay alive rather than asking them to cancel outright and the income for Paris is preserved, if delayed.”
FANCY A PUNT? CLAIM £40 IN FREE BETS BY BETTING £10
Most read in Sport
One idea being floated would be for Tokyo to merely stage a track and field event rather than a full-on Games but Sir Matthew scoffed: “That’s called a ‘World Championships with a flame’ and it wouldn’t work.”
Earlier this week, Olympic chief Dick Pound cast doubt on whether the Games will go ahead.
Asked whether the Games will get underway when scheduled on July 23, Pound responded: “I can’t be certain because the ongoing elephant in the room would be the surges in the virus.”