Four-time hockey Olympian Jamie Dwyer says he would have no qualms playing behind closed doors over not going at all to the Tokyo Games.
This week has seen calls for the Games to be delayed following the coronavirus pandemic but Dwyer, 41, said that any decision should be carefully considered, with athletes’ careers set upon competing once every four years.
“If I had a choice between playing at the Olympics with no crowd or not going at all, I’d take no crowds any day,” Dwyer, considered one of hockey’s greatest players, told Reuters.
“I know in Australia, the majority would take that option, too. I’m 100percent sure, whether you’re a hockey player a swimmer or whatever, you’d take that opportunity to go.
“The Olympics aren’t until the end of July, so there’s still a long time to go before we get to cancelling or making plan B.”
Dwyer, who retired from an illustrious career with the Kookaburras after Rio 2016, added that “if one country can’t come, or even 10 countries can’t come, it’s a shame but it’s not the end of the world.”
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