US Olympic CEO tells AP why she's not demanding games' delay

CEO of U.S. Olympic team is well aware of power her country wields in a situation like this, with coronavirus raging across globe and IOC taking its time before deciding wher to postpone Tokyo Games.

She's t in a big rush to use it.

“My role is t to make demands of those making decisions, but to bring forward solutions,” Sarah Hirshland, CEO of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, told Associated Press on Sunday.

Hirshland and USOPC leership have endured ir share of criticism for t calling on IOC to postpone games — a move being me by a

She says she can handle heat, but wants people to kw that she's doing her best to make sure that postponing is correct call and, maybe more important, what next step should be. At heart of that effort is a survey USOPC sent to around 4,000 Olympic hopefuls over weekend, asking m about training conditions and medical conditions in places y live, along with ir thoughts about when Olympics should take place.

IOC has asked U.S. and every or country for details about conditions in ir respective locales.

“We're hearing from athletes loud and clear, and I can guarantee you, IOC is going to hear from us, loud and clear,” Hirshland said.

But, as she's finding out, it might t be practical to decide everything based on majority rule or loudest voice. She told of one survey response from an athlete who took a yearlong sabbatical to get rey for Olympics, whose training hasn't been curtailed much, and who has wiggle room to push an effort to make games into 2021 or beyond.

“se are real scenarios we're facing,” Hirshland said. “ beauty of diversity les to having to be real thoughtful, and take this almost on a case-by-case basis, and think about how we mitigate se challenges as best we can.”

It could help explain more tempered statement she put out Sunday, along with Han Xiao, chair of athletes' visory council. y were part of a board meeting held after IOC said it might need

“We kw difficult obstacles ahe and we are all appreciative that IOC has heard our concerns and needs, and is working to dress m as quickly as possible,” statement said.

Hirshland also pushed back on idea that statements from U.S. track and swimming federations — each of which called on her to employ USOPC's leership role to ask for a postponement — amounted to a blindside or a crack in unity. She said she spoke with USA Swimming CEO Tim Hinchey long before he sent letter that was later me public.

“Both sports have a very large population, from grassroots to elite athletes, and y need ir athletes to kw y're being heard,” she said. “y want ir athletes to kw ir concerns are being passed on, and I can confirm those concerns are being passed on.”

Those concerns will be going, Hirshland said, straight to IOC. And though many signs point to an inevitable postponement of games, it's t part of mess USOPC is sending re.

“It's really important for us to understand totality of environment our athletes are facing,” she said. “It's a practical reality that re's easy answer right w.”