TOKYO (JAPAN) – Despite demanding a plan B and rescheduling of the Tokyo games last year, Greece’s gold medalist pole vaulter Katerina Stefanidi is backing the Games to be held this July, with or without spectators.
Stefanidi had accused organisers of risking athletes’ safety and demanded a plan B last year before the International Olympic Committee and Japanese government decided to postpone it amidst the pandemic. Days later, organisers did postpone the games, which is slated to commence on July 23.
Stefanidi told local media “I think that it’s a very different situation than what we had last year, where we didn’t really know anything about the virus,” the reigning pole vault Olympic champion said.
“If we have to have the Olympics without spectators, I would prefer that than not having the games at all,” she added.
“If we can have the Olympics with some spectators, that will be better, of course … For me the worst case scenario would be to completely cancel.”
Last year, she said that about 80 percent of World Athletics athletes surveyed supported either cancelling or postponing the Tokyo Olympics.Today, however, Stefanidi who is a member of World Athletics’ Athletes’ Commission believes there had been a change of attitude amongst many of the 15,000 athletes preparing to compete in Tokyo.
“But if we do this (survey) again, it will be reversed, then 80 percent of the athletes would want the Olympics to go ahead,” she said.
A survey of the general public in Japan by the Japan Press Research Institute on Saturday showed that 38% of respondents said the Tokyo Games should be cancelled while 34% said the events should be postponed again.
