World number ten, Naomi Osaka is pleased that the 2020 Olympics have been postponed even as she insists that the “Olympic spirit” is needed to combat coronavirus.
Former US Open champion, Osaka has given her “100 per cent” support to the decision and took the time to explain the rationale behind her stance.
The decision to move upcoming Olympic Games back from 2020 to 2021 was occasioned by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic that has resulted in close to 30,000 deaths worldwide, with more than 645,000 confirmed cases.
The Japanese two-time grand slam champion took to her Instagram page to voice her sentiments on the issue.
“I’ve been thinking about how to articulate my thoughts on this for a couple of days now, so here goes. Everyone knows how much the Olympics means to me and how proud I will be to participate in my home country,” she wrote.
“Of course, I am disappointed that it won’t happen this year, but we’ll all be ready to go stronger than ever in 2021!
“I support prime minister [Shinzo] Abe’s brave decision and the IOC [International Olympic Committee] 100 per cent. Sport will eventually unite us again and be there for us always, but that time is not now.
“This is the time for people from all countries, backgrounds and races to rally together to save as many lives as we can. To me, that is the Olympic spirit.
“To the people of Japan: stay strong, hang in there, and let’s show the world our beautiful country when the time is right in 2021.
“Stay safe, everyone, take care of each other, be kind, and we will make it through,” Osaka concluded.
