Weightlifter Zammit Stevens tries to stay upbeat despite COVID-19 chaos

Weightlifter Yazmin Zammit Stevens is still in the dark on whether she will be given the opportunity of competing in this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has thrown international sport into chaos with all the major qualifying competitions for this year’s Games cancelled.

For the past two years, Zammit Stevens has been taking part in several qualifying competitions around the world to try and improve her ranking position in a bid to book a first-ever participation in the quadrennial Games.

However, Zammit Stevens’ plans and that of her fellow weightlifters have been severely jolted by the coronavirus pandemic which has forced the sports governing body to practically postpone or cancel all events.

“The Olympic qualification period was meant to go on until the end of April,” Zammit Stevens told the The Sunday Times of Malta.

“However, it has just been announced that since all the events are being postponed or cancelled, the qualification period will now end on March 31. So basically, it means that the Olympic list of athletes can be finalised now.

“In weightlifting we’ve had a long qualification period. We started the whole process back in 2018, so...