One of New Zealand's most decorated Olympians is backing the decision to press forward with this year's Tokyo Games.
Barbara Kendall Photo: AFP
Set to happen in July and August, the event continued to be the subject of speculation due to Japan's ongoing battle with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Much of the country was under a state of emergency due to a third wave of infections, while it had been reported about 80 per cent of people in Japan did not want the Games to be held.
However, the International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government have reasserted their commitment to the event going ahead, strongly denying reports that a cancellation was imminent.
Champion boardsailor Barbara Kendall, who went to five Olympics and collected a medal of every colour, was behind the call to move forward as planned.
"People just love drama and every Olympics that have happened there's been something," Kendall said on RNZ's Extra Time.
"This one's definitely unique in that it won't be the same as previous Olympics in the way they're going to run it but they're putting all the systems and processes in place and we've seen lots of sporting events happen around the world.
"Yes there is going to be a risk but it's still six months away and they've been working on this very hard for the last year with all the [international] federations to ensure they've got all the protocols in place.
"There are risks always in everything that you do. The IOC and the governments are working scrupulously to do everything they can to mitigate the risks and make the Olympics happen because it's critical for sport worldwide."
Kendall has held several positions with the NZOC and IOC during and after the latter years of her career.
She was still heavily involved in the world of sport as vice-president of the International Surfing Association and a member of the IOC Women in Sport Commission.
Taking all the information those roles came with, Kendall had a message for those athletes still unsure about going to the Games.
"I just put myself in the shoes of an athlete, I would want to go.
"I wouldn't mind doing whatever isolation on the way there and on the way back, if that's what you have to do to ensure you can compete in the Olympic Games.
"This is their job, this is their livelihood, this is their dream and this is what they've been looking forward to.
"You talk to the athletes that wanted to go to Moscow, the Games that was boycotted and the government said you can't go. Many of them regret that decision and the fact that they weren't able to go.
"They look back and it was their only chance to go to the Olympic Games for some of them."
