Rikako Ikee Responds to Social Media Calls to Bypass Tokyo Games Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Last month, Rikako Ikee continued her comeback from wellness leukemia when she qualified for the Olympics as a member of the Japanese relay in the 400-meter freestyle and 400 medley. Now Ikee is defending his intention to run at a home Olympiad amid social media calls asking him to step down and oppose the Tokyo Games.

The social media demands she has faced came at a time when several Japanese cities, including Tokyo, are operating in a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and 80% of citizens are opposed to the holding. of the Olympic Games. More than 200,000 signatures have been collected on an online petition calling for the cancellation of the Games and suggesting that if the Olympics do take place, attention to tackling the pandemic will be limited.

Ikee was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago and has battled health from the deadly disease. She then responded to the Japanese Olympic Trials by qualifying for the relay after winning the 100 freestyle and the 100 butterfly. To Ikee’s credit, she has responded eloquently to requests from the internet to bypass the Tokyo Games.

“We athletes have of course worked hard to compete in the Olympics, but I think it’s natural that many are calling for the Games to be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic,” Ikee wrote on Twitter, according to Japan. . Today. “I share your desire to get out of this darkness as quickly as possible, but putting this burden on the shoulders of individual athletes is very difficult.

“I have a chronic illness, and whether the Games are held or not, I live with the anguish every day of maybe (being infected with the coronavirus and) becoming seriously ill. Myself and the other athletes will accept what is happening whether the Olympics take place or not. And, of course, I will work my best if it goes forward. Otherwise, I’ll do my best for the next one. “