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Friday, March 29, 2024

Australia continues to plan for Tokyo Games

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Australia continues to plan for Tokyo Games
Australia continues to plan for Tokyo Games

Australia will put extra measures in place because of the coronavirus pandemic but are continuing to prepare to take a delegation to Tokyo for the Olympics in July.

SHOWS: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (MARCH 19, 2020) (AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION - Broadcasters: NO USE AUSTRALIA Digital: NO USE AUSTRALIA .COM.AU INTERNET SITES / ANY INTERNET SITE OF ANY AUSTRALIAN BASED MEDIA ORGANISATIONS OR MOBILE PLATFORMS / AUSTRALIAN NVO CLIENTS / SMH.COM.AU / NEWS.COM.AU) 1.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIAN TEAM CHEF DE MISSION FOR TOKYO 2020 IAN CHESTERMAN, SAYING: "So if everybody is planning for the Games, then we must plan for the Games as well, because that's our obligation to the athletes.

We know the athletes will want to be there and we need to be able to deliver them there safely and get them home safely.

We believe that the key will be to deliver the athletes to the Games coronavirus free.

We anticipate that this will be a requirement of all athletes who attend the Games.

So we're starting a conversation right now, starting today, with the sports, to see how we can achieve this.

And we're looking at a number of measures to work towards in conjunction with our sports.

We will be looking at more base camps and longer base camps here in Australia, before they depart into the Games.

Obviously, with a recognition then they will be coronavirus-free.

We will also look at longer base camp options in Japan as well, putting more athletes in the host country earlier, where they're in a controlled environment and then can move into the Games village." 2.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE CHIEF EXECUTIVE MATT CARROLL, SAYING: "What their Plan A or B is their business.

What we want to make sure for our purposes, the AOC's purposes, is that their decision making process, to get to either Plan A, B or C was good.

And that's what we were working towards.

Our paramount thing, as I said at the beginning, is to look after the health and well-being of our athletes both here and in Tokyo.

What they have given us last night was those iron clad guarantee that the two principles which are guiding their decision making." 3.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIAN TEAM CHEF DE MISSION FOR TOKYO 2020 IAN CHESTERMAN, SAYING: "We have to take faith in the IOC process they've set up with the World Health Organization to be ensuring that the environment which we are moving into is safe.

And the two principles they've underlined are, that they will work to protect the athletes' safety, and ensure that nothing contributes to the spread of coronavirus and the athlete interests are paramount.

So that gives us faith and that's the way we need to keep on working." STORY: Australia will put extra measures in place because of the coronavirus pandemic but are continuing to prepare to take a delegation to Tokyo for the Olympics in July, Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) officials said on Thursday (March 19).

In a sometimes fiery news conference at AOC headquarters, chief executive Matt Carroll and Chef de Mission Ian Chesterman defended their decision to follow the advice of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Tokyo organisers and the IOC have insisted they are continuing to plan for the Games to go ahead as scheduled on July 24 despite the virus, which has now infected more than 212,000 people and caused 8,700 deaths in 164 nations.

They are coming under increasing pressure to cancel or postpone the Games, however, as other major sporting events such as soccer's Euro 2020 and Copa America as well as the French Open tennis are postponed.

Carroll said with 16 weeks until the athletes were due to depart for Tokyo and 18 until the opening ceremony, there was no need to rush into a decision.

(Production: James Redmayne)

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