By Neto Baptiste
National sprinter, Cejhae Greene, has expressed mixed feelings regarding the postponing of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, which are now slated for 2021.
The athlete, who is based in Tennessee, USA, maintains that in the end, the right decision was made to postpone the event, but that it has and will continue to negatively impact most athletes.
“I’ve actually been trying to deal with a lot since the announcement of the Olympic Games being [postponed] and it really put the whole season in topsy-turvy, but given the circumstances, I think the IOC did what they had to do. They were forced to postpone it for the safety of those who are going to be attending it and the athletes themselves. It is really unfortunate because that is one of the biggest games for track and field athletes too, so it was unfortunate, but it was something they had to do,” he said.
It was confirmed on Monday that the Tokyo Olympics will take place between July 23 and August 8, 2021. The Games, were due to start on July 24 of this year, are being postponed in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Veteran sprinter, Daniel Bailey, recently announced his intentions to vie for a spot at the repositioned Olympic Games, an announcement welcomed by Greene.
“That’s actually really good news because he is a veteran in the sport, and obviously, he is our record holder, so he knows what it takes to run fast and compete at the highest level. The more high-caliber athletes Antigua has on the stage then the better chances we have of achieving the ultimate goal of winning a medal and the more high-caliber athletes we have competing against each other, it brings out the best in you, so I wish him all the best in getting back fit because he knows where he needs to be and he knows the level he needs to compete at because he has done it for so long, so I wish him all the best getting back into the groove of things,” the professional sprinter said.
Another national athlete, high-jumper Priscilla Frederick Loomis, had welcomed the postponement of the games, stating that the preservation of life must take priority.