Tokyo Olympics 2020: Kiwi weightlifter David Liti presses on in face of Games postponement

Uncertainty regarding the status of the Tokyo Olympics continues to swirl, as national committees across the planet urge the IOC to postpone the event during the coronavirus pandemic.

But for NZ weightlifter David Liti, it's simply business as usual. 

The 23-year-old is set to compete at his first Olympics, after claiming 105kg gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in an emphatic statement to the weightlifting world.

The International Olympic Committee has announced it will make a final call on the fate of the Games in four weeks, when Liti will discover just how soon he can back up his Gold Coast heroics.

Postponement or not, Liti is unfazed by the outcome. He sees the benefits on both sides of the coin.

"I’ve seen a lot of athletes talking about how it is postponed and for me I don’t really mind," Liti told Newshub. 

"It is a bit of a low blow, because all the preparation was for July, but it’s not just about me - it’s about everyone else's safety and health. 

"For me, it’s kind of a win-win situation. I can take more time to prepare for it, and still stay strong in my head and carry on working, and it’s not stopping any of us."

On Tuesday, veteran IOC member Dick Pound claimed a decision had been reached to postpone the event until 2021.

But Liti has heard nothing of the sort. He believes the committee should revisit the situation and reassess at a later date.

"They’ve just talked about keeping your head strong and your mind sharp, nothing about a postponing that I know of. I’ve seen a couple of emails, but I haven’t really got stuck into it - I've just been focusing on training.

"If it was up to me, I would put it on hold and just wait until July, and hopefully everyone is training from now until then, so when the good news comes out that it’ll go on or postponed people will be ready."

For now and the next four weeks, Liti will be confined to his coach's garage for training, where he'll continue his own special brand of lockdown.

His advice to his fellow athletes is to do exactly that - stick to their regimes, stay ready and consider the bigger picture.

"Just keep your mind sharp," Liti added. "If you can wait four years, you can wait another few months - the preparation still goes on. 

"Keep your head up high, keep smiling, keep training and don’t hold anything back because of this virus. 

"We’re all fit and healthy, and we know we can go right through it, but it isn’t about us. Think about your parents, your grandparents, your nieces and nephews. 

"Keep your mind sharp, keep your health strong, keep training and don’t stop."