Ace shuttler Kidambi Srikanth welcomed the decision to postpone the Tokyo Olympics but he wants the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to wait before declaring a new date for 2021.
Srikanth feels the timeline for the Games should be finalised only after the BWF reschedules the tournaments which were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It is a good decision as it is next to impossible to host the Games given the critical scenario across the world,” Srikanth told Sportstar on Wednesday.
“But again, I personally feel that the BWF should have a serious rethink, once the situation improves and deemed fit for any sporting activity, about starting the tournaments which were cancelled in the wake of the coronavirus threat,” he said.
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“I appeal to the Olympics organisers and the BWF to wait before straight away declaring the next possible dates. There has to be a periodic, critical review of the situation before going ahead with the timeline,” he felt.
Reflecting on the preparations, Srikanth admitted it will be a difficult phase in the run-up to the next schedule of the Games.
“For the last 12 months, you have been tuning your physical and conditioning programmes according to the original schedule. Now, you have to reset the goal and plan accordingly. It is a huge task and a different kind of challenge for any athlete,” said the champion shuttler, who had set a rare record of winning four Super Series titles in 2017, before scaling the summit of world rankings in April 2018.
“Right now, I am in Guntur with my family members and friends. But, definitely doing those minimum exercises to stay fit and appeal to all the citizens to adhere to the guidelines of the Government and stay indoors till situation improves,” he concluded.
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