Although Olympic officials insist that the coronavirus will not disrupt this summer’s Olympics in Tokyo, the virus is already threatening to keep some Chinese athletes out of competition. The gymnastics World Cup is in Melbourne this week and China is not sending anyone, which may jeopardize two athletes’ spots in Tokyo. In addition, the women’s handball team withdrew from next month’s Olympic Qualification Tournament. Also the men’s water polo team waits on a decision to see if they will be able to compete in next month’s Olympic qualifying tournament. The Asian championships were originally scheduled for last week in Kazakhstan but were canceled due to the virus.
Quarantine in parts of China has caused some Chinese athletes, who were hoping to attend the Olympics, have their training disrupted. Even athletes that did not have their training disrupted are having challenges getting to competitions since many counties, including the United States, have temporarily barred entry to non-citizens who have been in China. There are several Chinese teams and athletes that have already qualified and secured their places to compete in the Tokyo Olympics. But other athlete’s hopes for attending the Olympics this summer are determined by qualifying competitions yet to take place. The qualifying events have been scheduled for months, but with the Olympics only five months away and experts unable to predict how long the coronavirus outbreak will last, the international sports federation and Tokyo organizers are put in a tough spot. They have promised that the Summer Olympics will go on as planned, but for some Chinese athletes that may not be able to get to the competitions to qualify, that will be little consolation.