Greece’s gold medallist pole vaulter Katerina Stefanidi, who last year called for the postponement of the Olympics Games Tokyo 2020, now wants the games to be held in July without spectators if needs be.

As the COVID-19 pandemic spread through the world last year, the Intenational Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Japanese government deliberated whether to hold the games as scheduled. Ms Stefanidi accused the games organisers of risking athletes’ safety should the event go ahead as planned. A few days later the decision was reached to postpone the games to next year.

At present, the Olympics Games Tokyo 2020 are scheduled to begin on 23 July and end on 8 August.

On Sunday Japan’s Kyodo News published an interview with Ms Stefanidi in which she said the Games should go ahead this year. The 30-year-old athlete, is also an influential member of the World Athletics’ Commission.

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“I think that it’s a very different situation than what we had last year, where we didn’t really know anything about the virus,” the reigning pole vault Olympic champion said.

“If we have to have the Olympics without spectators, I would prefer that than not having the games at all. …If we can have the Olympics with some spectators, that will be better, of course … For me the worst-case scenario would be to completely cancel,” she told Kyodo News.

Last year, she accused the IOC on Twitter of wanting to “keep risking our health, our family’s health and public health”. At the time she said a survey had shown that 80 percent of World Athletics members supported the cancellation or postponement of the games.

“If we do this (survey) again, it will be reversed, then 80 percent of the athletes would want the Olympics to go ahead,” she told the Japanese media outlet.

Ms Stefanidi added that she had also considered the possibility of only Japanese residents being allowed to attend the games this year. Most athletes would accept the necessary sacrifices to see the games take place.

“I don’t think that there will be very many other countries other than Japan that I would trust that they can figure this out. …I think everybody has high confidence in Japan, I think we’re lucky that the Olympics are in Japan and not somewhere else.”

“I am trying to stay positive and I really do think that the Olympics will take place this summer,” Ms Stefanidi said.