Every athlete should get same treatment in build-up to Olympics, Adam Peaty says

British athletes could face a six-day quarantine when they arrive in Tokyo next month.

Mark Staniforth
Wednesday 16 June 2021 15:15 BST
2019 British Swimming Championships – Day Two – Tollcross International Swimming Centre
2019 British Swimming Championships – Day Two – Tollcross International Swimming Centre (PA Archive)

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Adam Peaty has urged Olympic chiefs to ensure coronavirus protocols do not impact the integrity of the Tokyo Olympics.

The record-breaking swimming star insisted he will not let reports of a potential six-day quarantine for Team GB athletes distract him from his quest to defend his 100m breaststroke crown next month.

But Peaty expressed his fears that any inconsistency in the application of lockdown rules could hand some athletes an unfair advantage at a crucial stage.

Peaty said: “It’s very difficult to get fairness but when it’s the Covid situation it should be a little bit more fair, especially in the final run-up to the Games.

“Every athlete should have the opportunity to be treated equally. Some countries have seemed a little bit more lenient but that’s just the way it is, and as an individual athlete you’ve just got to take it on the chin.

“I wouldn’t want to race against people who haven’t had the same preparation or the same opportunity, and they (the IOC) want to leave no stone unturned.”

The International Olympic Committee acknowledged on Tuesday that under existing Japanese government restrictions, Team GB athletes are not exempt from a hard six-day quarantine upon arrival in Japan.

However, new regulations are set to be published on July 1 and the British Olympic Association remains confident that those relating to athletes will be eased.

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