SPECTATORS or no spectators, NSW North Coast paralympic star Ryley Batt concedes it will be a different 2021 Tokyo Paralympic Games quest in August.
Create a free account to read this article
or signup to continue reading
The focus could now shift to whether athletes get the COVID-19 vaccination or not - and when it will be rolled out.
Batt, of Port Macquarie, knows sport comes second when compared to people's health, especially in the middle of a global pandemic that has claimed the lives of more than two million people worldwide.
"It's all about people's safety at the moment," he said.
"If I have to get the COVID-19 vaccination to play for Australia so be it as long as everyone is safe and there is no risk of spreading the virus back here in Australia.
"We've done such a good job here."
Batt doesn't want any favours when it comes to rolling out the vaccination.
"I don't want any favours or to skip the line," he said.
With uncertainty surrounding whether the Games will proceed or if they will be played in front of spectators, the two-time gold medallists preference was for the stands to be occupied.
He said it shouldn't be underestimated how much of an impact an atmosphere can have on an athlete.
"If there is no crowd it will take that extra competitiveness out of the game," he said.
"The energy you get from the stands lifts any athlete; playing in front of sixteen and a half thousand at Rio and not being able to hear a thing gave me energy to lift."
IN OTHER NEWS:
Batt felt the Games would go ahead because it would be too much of a financial hit to the International Paralympic Committee.
"I don't think they can cancel the games because it will then be eight years between them which is almost a generation," he said.
If the Games were to be cancelled, the 31-year-old was unsure if he will still be playing in 2024.
"I've been playing the sport for 18 years this year so that's a lot of competitive games and training sessions," he said.
"The body isn't designed to hold out that long."
Batt and his Australian Steelers wheelchair rugby teammates were due to have a training camp in Melbourne in two weeks.
Following the latest outbreak in the Victorian capital, doubts now surround whether that will proceed.
"I haven't played a competitive match since February 2020," Batt said.
