Dr. Seyed Reza Salehi Amiri, President of Iran National Olympic Committee expressed that Iran is gaining preparation to participate in Tokyo2020 reschedule Olympic Games.
Iran NOC; Tehran: NOC President,
Dr. Seyed Reza Salehi Amiri highlighted: “Japan and the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) have set two conditions for the Olympic Games: if the corona
virus persists in the world until next year, the Olympics will have specific
and strict health restrictions and protocols in place for the organizers; and
if the corona vaccine is produced and there is sufficient security for athletes
and spectators, then the 2020 Olympics will be held more openly and widely.
Fortunately, most of Iranian
sports teams and athletes have received permission to hold limited camps in
compliance with health protocols and have started their trainings. Of course,
our athletes, like athletes in other countries, have faced a time lag for
competitions and training, but almost all Iranian championship teams are
involved in starting training and competitions to be able to properly prepare
and return to ideal sports conditions in order for participating in qualifying
competitions and the Olympic Games.
Recently, wrestling, volleyball
and several other sports teams have started their training camps, and soon
other disciplines will start as well. We will design special conditions for
each sport and based on the policies of the Corona HQ it is tried to prevent
athletes from illness and injury caused by the Covid-19. The Corona Headquarters
is active and is holding meetings with the Minister of Sports and the National
Olympic Committee, and we are constantly monitoring the condition of the
athletes.
We make decisions according to
the conditions of the day, the community and the sports community. World and
Iranian sports have been affected by the pandemic and it has reduced the
activities of champions, but the Ministry of Sports and the National Olympic
Committee will continue to do their utmost to create necessary conditions for
Iranian champions to participate in the Olympic Games. In coordination with the
federations and national teams, we have devised measures for replacements if
athletes get infected with the Covid-19. But the problem is what the situation
will be if an athlete gets infected during competitions which is a concern for
all countries.
From the current perspective we cannot
certainly assure what the prevalence of Covid-19 in Japan and the athlete
village will be, but with the experience and background of Japanese sports
management, we will no doubt have no problem with the health of the Olympic
Village and compliance with protocols.
I should also be added that the
conditions of Iranian championship sports are affected by the pandemic in the
world, and therefore today's talk is not definitive and will be based on the
policies of the Olympic Committee in the future. Whatever change or decision is
made by the IOC, we will change our terms and conditions accordingly, but with
the current circumstances, the Tokyo3030 will definitely be held at the rescheduled
time.