Olympics

The president of Team USA Swimming has fired off a letter to the head of the U.S. Olympic Committee strongly urging for the 2020 Games to be postponed 1 year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Tim Hinchey -- President and CEO of USA Swimming -- feels it's unfair to force athletes to prepare for Tokyo 2020 while they're trying to follow government mandates urging them to quarantine and stay out of public places.

As we previously reported, Olympic training pools around the country have been shut down to protect the athletes from exposure to the COVID-19 virus ... leaving many swimmers without a place to work out while they prep for the biggest competition of their lives.

So, Hinchey sent a letter to Sarah Hirshland -- CEO of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee -- urging her to push for a 1-year postponement.

"As this global pandemic has grown, we have watched our athletes’ worlds be turned upside down and watched them struggle to find ways to continue to prepare and train – many for the biggest competitive opportunity of their lives."

"Our world class swimmers are always willing to race anyone, anytime and anywhere; however, pressing forward amidst the global health crisis this summer is not the answer."

"The right and responsible thing to do is to prioritize everyone’s health and safety and appropriately recognize the toll this global pandemic is taking on athletic preparations," Hinchey wrote.

"It has transcended borders and wreaked havoc on entire populations, including those of our respected competitors. Everyone has experienced unimaginable disruptions, mere months before the Olympic Games, which calls into question the authenticity of a level playing field for all."

Hinchey added ... "Our athletes are under tremendous pressure, stress and anxiety, and their mental health and wellness should be among the highest priorities."

"It is with the burden of these serious concerns that we respectfully request that the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee advocate for the postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 by one year."

So far, Tokyo 2020 organizers are adamant the event will take place as scheduled in July 2020 -- and they're currently holding torch lighting ceremonies in Japan.

The U.S. Olympic Committee has shut down the Olympic Training Center in Colorado due to the coronavirus scare, TMZ Sports has learned ... shutting out American gymnasts from prepping for Tokyo.

With Los Angeles in lockdown mode and other cities clamping down fast -- we reached out to multiple Team USA Olympic training squads to find out if and how they'll continue to train athletes with the Games just months away.

A rep for USA Gymnastics tells us ... "As of Wednesday March 18, all training venues at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, including the gymnastics facility, were closed for at least the next 30 days."

"We understand the significant impact this has on our National Team athletes and their training and are working with athletes and their coaches to find safe alternative solutions for our athletes to train."

As for Team USA Swimming ... they've got big problems too -- and have shut down their pools out of an abundance of caution.

While experts say pool cleaning chemicals will kill the coronavirus, USA Swimming officials tell us there are other reasons they can't allow swimmers to continue their training.

"There is no evidence that COVID-19 can be spread to humans through the use of pools and hot tubs," a rep tells us.

"But if you have several athletes swimming and training in the same lane and all coming up for air in close quarters at the wall there’s a possibility of transmission."

Team USA Volleyball has also shut down their training centers in Anaheim and Torrance -- but tell us, "Our athletes are finding ways to train at their homes."

Team USA Track tells us ... "Athletes face challenges as they train all over the country in both private and public facilities. Local health authorities have shut down many (or most) of these facilities."

Another bizarre (yet necessary) scene ... the Olympic Torch Handover ceremony went down in Athens, Greece on Thursday -- with ZERO fans allowed at Panathenaic Stadium.

In fact, Japan reportedly contacted little-known former Olympic swimmer Naoko Imoto to represent the country ... since the athlete was already living in Greece.

The original plan was to have a massive star-studded event for the flame-passing tradition -- but with the coronavirus pandemic in full swing, organizers wanted as few people involved as possible.

So, Japan contacted former Olympic swimmer Naoko Imoto, who was already living in Greece, to represent the host country. The 43-year-old agreed and she was all smiles on Thursday.

There were flags, there was a stage -- but absolutely NO fans at the venue. Super weird.

FYI, Naoko swam in the 800-meter relay in the '96 Games in Atlanta.

Now, the flame will be transported from Athens to Japan, for another scaled-down ceremony at a military base on Friday.

Japan insists the 2020 Tokyo Games will go on as planned -- despite the fact most of the world is in quarantine.

Gerard Butler's doing his part to ensure the Olympics go off without a hitch -- coronavirus be damned -- by carrying the torch in the only city you'd expect to find him ... Spaaaarta!!!

You could say the "300" star was on his home turf Friday morning as he joined the Olympic torch relay. Rocking a Tokyo 2020 shirt, he carried the flame from Mystras, Greece into Sparta.

Once he arrived he addressed the crowd and, naturally, he had to say his most famous line. Hell, they didn't invite him to the relay for his good looks. Okay, let's be honest, that face doesn't hurt.

The relay started Thursday in Ancient Olympia, and will wind its way to Athens on March 19. From there it'll start its global journey and -- barring postponement or cancellation -- end up in Tokyo in July.

The video of Gerard doing the torch hand-off is interesting because, as you'd imagine, there's a crowd of reporters and photographers surrounding him. No one is maintaining a distance of 6 feet. If you're panicked about coronavirus ... it was not the place to be.

But, hey ... he said the line.

President Donald Trump has suggested Olympic officials postpone the 2020 Games in Tokyo over coronavirus fears ... saying it's better to delay than perform without crowds.

Trump -- along with Ireland's prime minister, Leo Varadkar -- were taking questions from the media about the global COVID-19 pandemic ... when POTUS was asked directly if Japan should cancel the Games.

"Maybe they postpone it for a year," Trump said ... "Maybe that's not possible. I guess it's never happened with the Olympics."

The Games are currently scheduled to kick off in late July.

Trump says "it's a shame" the outbreak could impact the Olympics because from what he's seen, Japan was doing an amazing job setting up the country for the massive event.

But, POTUS explained ... he thinks it's better to push the games for a year so the world can get a grip on the pandemic.

Plus, Trump says he likes that idea "better than having empty stadiums all over the place ... better than doing it with no crowd."

Trump insisted the United States is handling the crisis well -- and says things will eventually get better and the virus will "go away."

Yeah, competing in the Olympics without fans would be weird -- but it's not a crazy idea ... this according to track legend Jackie Joyner-Kersee who says, "it would be just like practicing."

"I hope it doesn't come to that, but I also want our nation and our world to be safe," JJK told us in New York City.

Of course, everyone is freaking out about the coronavirus -- and multiple major pro sports organizations are kicking around the idea of banning fans from attending events in person.

With the 2020 Olympic Games just around the corner in Tokyo, people are wondering if there will be a no-fan policy there as well.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee tells us the athletes should try their best to stay focused on training -- despite global panic.

"I'm sure our Olympic hopefuls and Olympians are training hard. And, it's out of their control. But, the most important thing is safety for the world."

LeBron James recently said if the NBA bans fans, he WILL NOT play -- but it doesn't sound like Jackie is down with that plan.

Jackie is one of the greatest U.S. track and field athletes of all time -- with 3 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals on her resume.

The decision has been made -- the 2020 Olympic Games WILL happen as planned despite a worldwide coronavirus scare, the IOC said on Tuesday.

There have been talks in recent weeks about postponing or even canceling the games due to the disease spreading at a rapid rate ... after IOC exec. Dick Pound said a decision should come late May.

The IOC's Mark Adams put all the speculation to rest during a press briefing ... saying the Games will, in fact, kick off July 24.

"The Games are going ahead on the 24th of July and we completely expect to deliver them on that date. All the advice we've been given is that that can go ahead, from the WHO and other organizations."

Adams was asked a TON of follow-up questions about the decision, but was adamant the Games are happening as planned.

So far, more than 90,000 people have reportedly been diagnosed with Coronavirus in 71 countries -- with more than 3,000 deaths.

Tokyo 2020 could be CANCELED over the coronavirus -- so says a senior Olympic official who says postponing or moving the games to another country is probably out of the question.

With 80,000 people reportedly infected with the virus -- and 2,600 deaths -- people are concerned a massive international gathering like the Olympics could accelerate the spread. And, with the Games set to kick off in late July, athletes and fans want to know if there's a backup plan.

Enter Dick Pound -- a senior member of the International Olympic Committee -- who told the Associated Press a total cancelation IS on the table.

"In and around that time, I’d say folks are going to have to ask: 'Is this under sufficient control that we can be confident about going to Tokyo or not?'" Pound said.

And, if officials determine it's too dangerous to move forward, "You’re probably looking at a cancellation."

That being said, Pound is urging athletes to continue training as usual -- because the current plan is to HAVE the Games in Tokyo as scheduled.

"As far as we all know, you’re going to be in Tokyo. All indications are at this stage that it will be business as usual. So keep focused on your sport and be sure that the IOC is not going to send you into a pandemic situation."

The Olympics have only been canceled in modern history as a result of war -- the Games were called off in 1916 for WWI and both the 1940 and 1944 Games were axed because of WW2.