ON Monday the International Olympic Committee announced that the scheduled Olympic Games, while still to be called Tokyo 2020, will take place next year, from July 23 to August 8, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It throws out the plans of all this year’s Olympic hopefuls by a year. They are left waiting to find out when qualification will be resumed and even when they’ll be able to return to their training facilities. The coronavirus crisis means gyms across the UK are closed and athletes are having to train as best they can in isolation.

For Frazer Clarke the blow is particularly acute. He has spent the last 10 years on the GB programme training to go to an Olympic Games and medal. He expected that to be this year. Now all those particular hopes have been upended.