Glen Mills, former coach of retired sprint king Usain Bolt, would advise the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to push the Tokyo Olympic Games to next year.
So far, the IOC has resisted calls from several high-profile athletes, coaches, and even athletics associations, to postpone the games in light of the current coronavirus pandemic.
In the latest twist, the IOC has flatly rejected the idea of cancellation, but is expected to take a decision on whether to postpone the Games, set to start on July 24.
Mills, however, admits that he cannot see the event being staged before next year, following the already massive disruptions to the schedule.
“I can’t see the Olympics going ahead; taking persons from all over the world and bringing them to one central point,” Mills said in a recent interview with Reuters.
“My recommendation would be to postpone the Olympics until next year,” he said.
“This would be unprecedented, but we are in unprecedented time. Move everything up one year and then everything will eventually fall back in place,” he added.
“But I don’t think that the Olympics will take place at the time that is specified (July and August) because the outbreak is worldwide and, in some countries, it is just starting to accelerate.”
The Olympics has only been cancelled on three occasions- 1916, 1940 and 1944. In all those cases the scrapping of the Games was due to World Wars One and Two. (Sportsmax)
