Why is Roger Federer in favour to postpone the Tokyo Olympics 2020 ?
Roger Federer at the 2012 London Olympics
Roger Federer had recently made his intentions clear of participating in the Olympics in his bid to win another medal for Switzerland which would also be his 3rd.
Federer came close at his debut Olympics at the 2000 Sydney Olympics but finished 4th. His wait ended when he finally won the Gold Doubles in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and followed it up with a Silver in Singles event at the 2012 London Olympics. Due to his injury, he could not participate in the 2016 Rio Olympics and now looks at the Tokyo Olympics as the opportunity.
The Tokyo Olympics scheduled for 2020 were postponed due to the Covid-19 Pandemic with all the countries going into lockdown for months. Tennis activities were also halted for 5-months which saw the postponement of the Wimbledon Championships for the first time since the World War 2.
The Olympics got postponed for a year and are currently scheduled from the 23rd July,2021 to 8th August,2021. However, with the cases rising again across nations, the global sports event is in doubts again.
Speaking about the issue on postponement of the games, Federer said,” I heard some authorities asked for the Olympic Games to be postponed again, as many people still are not vaccinated. I would understand this decision.”
Roger Federer got vaccinated before the ATP Geneva Open 2021
Japan has seen some huge protests from the citizens that resulted in ‘Emergency’ being imposed in the country and petitions being signed by the locals to postpone the Olympics. “Stop Tokyo Olympics” campaign are currently being held in the country against the event, with people fearing that medical resources will be directed to the Olympics Village instead of the Japanese citizens.
Roger Federer recently made his comeback at the ATP Geneva Open 2021 where he bowed out in the 2nd round. Prior to the beginning of the competition, he had confirmed about taking his vaccine against the Covid-19 virus.
While the Olympics are a major doubt, Federer was in support of the decision if the games need to be postponed. With such difficult situations arising, it will be difficult for all the parties involved and it will be interesting to see what further steps do the authorities takes.
Also Read: Roger Federer wishes to play at the Tokyo Olympics but asks for more clarity
Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)