Sathiyan says Too early to comment on postponement

Kolkata : Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, India's top-ranked paddler, feels it's too early to decide whether the Olympics should be postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, adding that as an athlete he is ready to abide by the International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s guidelines.

"I think its too early to decide on that. We will have to wait and see," Sathiyan told IANS from Chennai. The No. 31-ranked Sathiyan just returned after winning a silver medal in the men's doubles of the Hungarian Open, alongside veteran Sharath Kamal.

"If things don't improve, there is a high chance it might get postponed as players health is definitely the priority," he said.

"As an athlete I am ready to abide by whatever IOC decides," added the 27-year old.

Many athletes have complained about the lack of training opportunities now as all are confined to their homes with most qualifiers also cancelled or postponed.

With the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) suspending all events until the end of April, next month's Asian Olympic Qualifying event in Bangkok has also been postponed indefinitely. Sathiyan and Kamal, though, are well-placed to qualify on the basis of their rankings.

"Definitely there is uncertainty and a lot of tournaments are cancelled. (We are) not being able to train fully as well. But I can understand as it's a world pandemic and health should be the priority," said Sathiyan.