The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is facing a revolt from athletes ahead of the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer.
The IOC released a statement on Tuesday insisting the Games would go ahead as normal, despite the coronavirus crisis wrecking the sporting calendar.
But a growing number of athletes have been left seething about the situation – and claim they cannot train properly because of the lack of facilities that remain open. Several athletes have been forced to self-isolate.
Olympic champion Katerina Stefanidi has accused the IOC of ‘risking our health’, while Johnson-Thompson is being forced to return to the UK from her training base in France due to the country being in lockdown.
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She said: “The IOC advice ‘encourages athletes to continue to prepare for the Olympics Games as best as they can’, with the Olympics only four months away.
“But the government legislation is enforcing isolation at home, with tracks, gyms and public spaces closed. I feel under pressure to train and keep the same routine, which is impossible.”
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Stefanidi, who won gold for Greece in pole vault at Rio 2016, said: “This is not about how things will be in four months. This is about how things are now.