GAIL EMMS reckons the Tokyo Olympics should have been cancelled two months ago.
Britain’s 2004 badminton silver medallist, 43, is angry athletes are being forced to travel to Japan for the Games during a global pandemic.
Olympic chiefs are pressing ahead with their £10billion plans despite the uncertainty over the Covid crisis.
A state of emergency has been extended on the Japanese capital, vaccinations numbers there are slow and there has been a surge in localised cases.
With just ten weeks until the Games begin, Emms said: “It shouldn’t happen. And that decision should have been made months ago.
“There is another wave in Japan. And 60 per cent of the Japanese population don’t want the Games.
“What is the whole purpose of why this event is going on? That is the real question.
“Japanese people are dealing with the virus but don’t worry, it’s OK, we have archery at 2pm and basketball at 7pm! It just seems odd.
“More than 11,000 will be in the Olympic Village. Will they have to eat on their own?
“What happens if one of their team-mates is pulled out? Are they out as well?”
Emms, who volunteered as a swab tester for three months during lockdown, believes the onus should be on the IOC to make the final call.
She added: “It pains me as a former athlete to say this. But they will miss out on those special moments, seeing the flags, celebrating in front of their mums and dads.
“It will be sterile. Footballers who have played in empty stadiums all say it is rubbish.
“These won’t be the same Olympics. So do it properly or not at all. The Olympics are more than sport.
“It’s about the host nation, a legacy programme, inspiring people, its history — it should be more than about money.”
