Coronavirus: Olympic boycott on cards if IOC doesn't postpone Tokyo 2020 - Brendon Telfer

Calls to delay the Tokyo Olympics grow louder by the day - and now two major American sporting federations have joined the chorus.

USA track and field and their swimming counterparts have demanded a postponement, but athletes are being told to train as normal, despite some being in lockdown.

But it's still not clear what they're training for - Olympic qualifying events are being cancelled worldwide. 

And there's mounting pressure for the Games to follow suit.

"Why are we telling our athletes to train hard at the moment, when increasingly it looks as if there'll be no Olympics in July of this year," says veteran New Zealand sports broadcaster Brendon Telfer. 

Four months out and the International Olympic Committee is still reluctant to postpone, saying it has until as late as May to pull the plug.

But one Tokyo Organising Committee advisor says a decision must be made by the end of this month, while US President Donald Trump says he has also been told to expect an announcement soon.

"There are options obviously, including delay and maybe delay for next year, but that's totally up to them," Trump said on Saturday (NZ time).

The New Zealand Olympic Committee says it is also going ahead as planned, although it continues to monitor the situation closely.

But Telfer says that could seriously affect our athletes' abilities to train and compete at an elite level. 

"If they can't compete properly and prepare themselves properly, why should they go?" he said.

"At a time when every other sport is making big sacrifices and sacrificing their marquee events, the Olympics have been prepared to do nothing."

And he says if the IOC doesn't move soon, countries will start to boycott - something that hasn't happened for 32 years.

Contact Newshub with your story tips:
news@newshub.co.nz