Coronavirus affecting Olympic preparations but Indian athletes hopeful of Tokyo Games being on time

The novel coronavirus outbreak has affected their Olympic preparations but India's top athletes like P V Sindhu and Bajrang Punia say they are optimistic about the quadrennial event going ahead as scheduled despite the current health crisis.

Olympic silver-medallist Sindhu says she can understand the apprehensions of fellow shuttlers, including compatriot Sania Nehwal, who is racing against time to qualify for the Games due to the cancellation of tournaments in the wake of the outbreak. The Olympic Games are scheduled to start July 24.

"For now, All England Championships hasn't been cancelled yet, everything is going on well but the coronavirus is spreading very quickly. At the end of the day, I will adhere to government's decision on what needs to be done," Sindhu said on the sidelines of the fourth TOISA awards on Thursday night.

"It (coronavirus) has just come out and has become too much now. It's a bad thing to happen in an Olympic year. Few of the tournaments have been cancelled, so we will have to wait and see what happens," she added.

Her mentor and national coach Pulella Gopichand said even though an event like the Olympics is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a sportsperson but health and well-being of people should always be top priority.

"In none of the other Games, Commonwealth, Asian Games or World Championships, we have seen this kind of thing. For us, Olympics comes in 4 years and is a lifetime opportunity. So people prepare, plan and live their dream," he said.

"I think at the end of the day it is very important to understand and recognise the fact that life is important and sport is only a part of life and sometimes in our focus we tend to lose the perspective.

"If things go well the Olympics will happen but if they don't, I think the priority is to ensure the safety and health of the citizens."
"We are going to Russia for training but some wrestlers are nervous after the Asian Olympic Qualifier was cancelled."
"As an athlete, I will continue my preparations without thinking about whether the Olympics will be postponed or not. It's up to the organisers and IOC to take a call."
"I have hope that it (Olympics) will be held as per schedule, same time, same venue. Still it's 4-5 months away, we can expect some good news by then that COVID-19 is shrinking."