Australian golf star Adam Scott has questioned whether it's a responsible decision to let the Olympics go ahead, saying some people don't understand the fear that the Japanese people are currently experiencing in the build-up to the Games.
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Reiterating that he had "definitely no second thoughts" about his own earlier decision back in April not to travel to Tokyo, the 40-year-old told reporters in Sandwich ahead of the Open golf championship: "It's questionable really whether it should go ahead, an event of that scale."
The venues at the Games, which begin on July 23, will be spectator-free while the coronavirus pandemic has seen a state of emergency declared in the Japanese capital.
"The fan situation is not good at the moment," said Scott, who also decided not to compete in the 2016 Olympics in Rio when golf returned to the programme.
"I think certain parts of the world don't understand the fear that the Japanese are experiencing at the moment.
"They're not as advanced vaccination-wise as some other areas. You have to question whether it's really a responsible decision to go ahead.
"But that's not really why I'm not going anyway. I've been home seven weeks so far this year, and it's hard to justify another week away."
Scott has never been a fan of the top golf professionals competing at the Games, saying that he thinks the format should be changed.
Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman, the top two Australian golfers in the world rankings, will fly off to Tokyo after the Open to compete in the Games.
Australian Associated Press
