What Philadelphia-area athletes and coaches are saying about Olympic postponement

What some Philadelphia athletes and coaches involved in Olympic preparation said about Tuesday’s postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Games:

Carli Lloyd, Delran, N.J., U.S. women’s soccer: “It’s bigger than an Olympics. I definitely think it’s the right call. Disappointed, but I think for the safety of everybody, it’s definitely the best thing.”

Dawn Staley, coach of U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team: “Relief for all the athletes and coaches, knowing and praying that is enough time and distance to see COVID-19 end.”

Jay Wright, Villanova, assistant coach for U.S. men’s basketball team, on Twitter: “The decision to postpone the 2020 Olympics was a difficult decision, but the right one. Now is the time to support our healthcare workers, those in our community who are ill and those who are at risk!”

Kamali Thompson, former Temple Owl, USA Olympic fencing candidate: “First and foremost, the most important thing is to keep everyone safe during this time. Unfortunately for me, this is difficult to digest. Trying to make the Olympics is by far the most difficult process I’ve ever endured. Hearing one more year of competition, which requires serious financial sacrifices, two-a-day practices, and a flexible schedule for domestic and international travel will be difficult to maintain while finishing my rotations and traveling for orthopedic surgery residency interviews. However, this newfound obstacle will provide a new opportunity to improve as an athlete and display the strength and tenacity required to become an Olympic athlete.”

Julian Venonsky, former Malvern Prep rower, candidate for U.S. Olympic rowing team: “It’s of course a bit disappointing having the culmination of this quadrennial be postponed, as we all have worked so hard with 2020 as the goal. However, we all want to do our part in helping the global community overcome the current situation. We will have to wait another year, but that means another year of training, improvement, and opportunities to get faster for 2021.”

Nia Akins, Penn senior, favorite to win U.S. 800-meters competition for Olympic berth: “Honestly, hearing that the Olympics were postponed wasn’t shocking news to me at all. I think for right now – without having a vaccine – that traveling like that, especially the Olympics, bringing people from all over the world together, and more importantly sending them back out to wherever they came from, is a huge risk. It’s difficult to train when everything is shut down.”