USA Swimming calls for Olympics to be delayed: 'Our athletes are under tremendous pressure'

USA Swimming has asked for the Tokyo Olympics to be delayed by one year amid the coronavirus pandemic, the organisation wrote in a letter addressed to the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).

In the letter, released on Twitter on Friday, USA Swimming CEO Tim Hinchey said athletes on the team have struggled to train for the upcoming Games, which are anticipated to start in July 2020.

“Everyone has experienced unimaginable disruptions, mere months before the Olympic Games, which calls into question the authenticity of a level playing field for all,” Mr Hinchey wrote. “Our athletes are under tremendous pressure, stress and anxiety, and their mental health and wellness should be among the highest priorities.”

It was also stated that the “right and responsible thing to do is to prioritise everyone’s health and safety” during the global pandemic over participating in the Olympics.

A one-year delay was requested by the team for the Olympics to instead happen in July 2021 once the toll of the virus subsides.

“There are no perfect answers, and this will not be easy; however, it is a solution that provides a concrete path forward and allows all athletes to prepare for a safe and successful Olympic Games in 2021,” he wrote.

The USOPC said earlier on Friday it had not expressed a preference on postponing the Games or given a deadline to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to make a final decision.

“I think we would concur with them that we need more expert advice and information than we have today to make a decision,” Susanne Lyons, USOPC’s board chair, said on a conference call with reporters Friday, according to the Washington Post. “And we don’t have to make a decision. Our Games are not next week or two weeks from now. They’re four months from now. I think a lot may change in that time period. So we are affording the IOC the opportunity to gather that information and expert advice, and at this point in time we do not feel it’s necessary for us to insist that they make a decision.”

USA Swimming is a huge draw when watching the Olympic Games given the level their athletes perform at, with former swimmers including Michael Phelps, who is the most decorated Olympian of all time. So the organisation speaking out against the continuation of the Games comes as a huge blow for the IOC while it weighs the difficult decision.

Jacob Pebley, a swimmer on the 2016 US Olympic‘s team, released a statement about why the Games should be postponed this year. 

"How can we, members of Team USA and role models for hundreds of thousands of young athletes, attend Olympic Trials/the Olympics in good conscience?” he wrote. “To do so would fly in the face of all emerging evidence and best practices for social distancing and protecting the health of vulnerable communities.”

Other Olympic hopefuls have expressed concerns about safety and training during the pandemic. 

Gymnast Colin Van Wicklen wrote on Twitter: "We must put the pressure on the IOC to do the right thing.” The US Gymnastics team has not publicly taken a position on if the Olympics should be postponed this year. 

The British Olympic Association (BOA) recently said it would not “endanger the health” of its athletes by encouraging them to train for the Games if it was not in their best interest to do so.

“We can be categorically clear that we will not endanger the health and wellbeing of the athletes or wider delegation at any point,” the BOA said. “It is imperative to preserve competitive integrity for athletes, but it is clearly only wise for athletes to continue to prepare for the Games where it is safe and appropriate to do so, within relevant Government and public health guidelines.”

But the organisation said it still respected the IOC and its decision-making process when ultimately deciding if the Games should be postponed or continue.