Pullela Gopichand wants the Olympics to be postponed, read here

India’s chief badminton coach Pullela Gopichand said that the upcoming Olympic 2020 Tournament, scheduled to be held in Tokyo from July 24 to August 9 must be postponed amidst the COVID-19 turmoil that the world is facing today.

Most of the sports tournament have been either cancelled or postponed in the wake of the deadly virus outbreak. The COVID-19 has killed over 8,000 people and infected more than 2,00,000 people around the globe.

However, on Wednesday, the International Olympic Committee reported that the Tournament is expected to begin on time.

“I have my doubts about the Olympics. It is not like it is far away. The preparation has to start now. So, the IOC has to take a call now for everyone to relax.” Gopichand told PTI.

“I think, in the present scenario, with the health scares and all the travel restrictions and all, it is a tough time and at the moment the whole world is thinking about health and safety for its citizens, so I think given the situation it is better if the Olympics are postponed,” he added.

Shots were also fired at Badminton World Federation(BWF) for conducting the All England Championship this month in spite of the spread of the disease.

Indian badminton player Saina Nehwal too criticized the BWF, saying that the players’ safety was comprised with and that financial profits were prioritized.

Gopichand too was of the same opinion, saying

“Definitely, I think it was a wrong decision on BWF’s part to put the players at risk by hosting the All England.”

After the outrage of the players on this event, the BWF postponed all tournaments till April 12.

There have been discussions to extend the Olympic qualification period, which ends on April 28, after the postponement of the qualifiers.