Expert and former Olympian available to comment on possible cancellation of Tokyo Olympic Games

Angela Scheider

Reports indicate that the Tokyo Olympic Games are set to be cancelled though no official decision has been announced.

The director of Western University’s International Centre for Olympic Studies is available to media for comment.

Angela J. Schneider, a former Olympian, studies genetic doping in sport, sport medicine ethics, women in sport and embodiment and the philosophy of sport. She won a silver medal at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles as a member of the Canadian coxed four women’s rowing team.

“Although The Times, a reputable British newspaper, and Twitter posts have claimed that the Japanese government have concluded that the Tokyo Olympic Games would be cancelled, the Tokyo Metropolitan government, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and many others, have strongly denied the cancellation.

“It is very understandable that there may be much uncertainty in Japan, and around the world, right now, as COVID-19 cases rise and polls indicating significant numbers of the Japanese people want the Tokyo Olympic Games postponed again or cancelled. But many others do not want to give up yet. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has also supported the IOC message, claiming that there have been many lessons learned from the valuable learning experiences from other sports events held during the pandemic. Others have claimed that there may have been broader social costs for these experiments.

“Either way, we can expect a decision to be made at least before the Olympic Torch Relay starts in March.”

Commentary reflects the perspective and scholarly interest of Western faculty members and is not an articulation of official university policy on issues being addressed.

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