Dubai: Indian badminton star and world champion PV Sindhu said that the cancellation of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games came as no surprise as she say all the signs in the lead up to the news amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The International Olympic Committee made the decision to postpone the Games until next summer on March 25 but Sindhu said she was already doubtful because of the rate at which the coronavirus pandemic was spreading.
“I was fine and prepared when I got to know about the Olympics being postponed. I was anyway not sure if the Olympics would happen this year because every other day a new country was getting affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In these circumstances, you couldn’t have done anything else. Life comes first,” Sindhu told Hindustan Times.
Sindhu and the rest of the Indian badminton players last played at the All England Championships before the Badminton World Federation announced that all future tournaments stand suspended. “It all changed once we came back. The numbers increased, the situation became worse and now I can’t remember the last time I took such a long break — maybe never!” she said. “I just do some exercises whenever I can. I have some equipment at home so I train for an hour-and-a-half — maybe do some jumps, some shadow movements or things like that. Being confined to home is fine, except that you cannot do anything, which can get a bit boring. I don’t do much household chores but I make sure I help my mum in the kitchen.”
India is currently under a three-week lockdown until April 14 but Sindhu expects the lockdown to be extended. “As of now, I think the lockdown period will be extended because the numbers have been rising. We will have to wait and see. Hopefully, the numbers will come down,” she said.
