CRIS Nievarez admitted it would be a big disappointment on his part if the Tokyo Olympics is cancelled at the last minute.
Just the same, Nievarez said his training will go on as there remains the 31st Southeast Asian Games to also prepare for before the end of the year.
“Malungkot kung di man matutuloy yung Olympics kasi nag-prepare na, nakapag-qualify na,” said the first Filipino rower in the last 20 years to qualify for the Olympiad after Benjie Tolentino.
“Sana naman huwag.”
Latest news coming out of Japan is a signature campaign gaining ground among its citizens for the cancellation of the Olympics, set July 23 to August 8, following the fourth wave of COVID-19 infections around the country.
A poll showed at least 70 percent of the Japanese population is against the holding of the Olympics, which was cancelled last year following the global outbreak of COVID-19.
The Japanese capital itself is under a state of emergency along with other two areas and four prefectures (provinces) owing to the surging cases of the virus.
Prominent Japanese athletes also expressed their concerns on the issue including recent Masters golf champion Hideki Matsuyama and top women’s tennis player Naomi Osaka.
According to Japan Times, the state of emergency is expected to be extended possibly until June 20 or about a month before the Olympics.
But the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said the Olympics will go ahead even if Tokyo is under a state of emergency, according to Vice-President John Coates.
The IOC executive cited that five qualifying events were actually held in Japan the last few weeks including the Asia Oceania Olympic Qualification Tournament where Nievarez eventually earned an Olympic berth.
But the Filipino understands the sentiment of the host country, adding he’s keeping an open mind if ever the Olympics won’t push through.
And should that be the case, the 21-year-old rower would just focus on his campaign in the SEA Games in Vietnam where he will try to defend his title in the men’s singles sculls.
“Yung paghahanda naman kasi, matuloy man o hindi (yung Olympics), may SEA Games naman,” he said. “Yung training ko naman kasi ngayon dire-diretso na hanggang sa SEA Games.”
So far, nine Filipinos already earned berths to the Olympics namely world champion gymnast Carlos Yulo, pole vaulter EJ Obiena, boxers Eumir Marcial, Irish Magno, Carlo Paalam and world champion Nesthy Petecio, 2016 Rio De Janeiro silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz of weightlifting, and the latest of them, taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa.
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