Despite the rapid spike of the novel coronavirus disease COVID-19 cases across the globe, Jamaica’s diving flag bearer Yona Knight-Wisdom is forging ahead in his preparations with hopes of making a second Olympic appearance in Tokyo in July.

Though the United Kingdom, where Knight-Wisdom resides, has 373 confirmed cases and six deaths, according to the World Health Organization, the diver says he remains committed to the Olympic dream.

Still, Knight-Wisdom, whose father is Jamaican and mother Barbadian, pointed out that he is taking the necessary precautions to protect himself, while going about his daily routine.

“So far my training hasn’t been affected by the virus at all; I’ve been keeping up with developments on the news and trying to protect myself as best as possible. I’m making sure to stay away from crowded spaces as much as possible, and use hand sanitiser as frequently as possible to protect myself,” Knight-Wisdom told the Jamaica Observer from his base in England yesterday.

“Other than that, life continues just as normal; I’ve had some good results, especially in winning my first-ever Grand Prix medal in Madrid, and I’ve shown glimpses of what I can do at my best which has given me lots of confidence.

“My body feels good and healthy at the moment and I am working hard in training every day. So I will just be continuing doing what my coach asks of me to the best of my ability and I’ll see where that takes me,” the Pan-American Games silver medallist added.

That said, Knight-Wisdom sympathises with his diving colleagues in Italy and other athletes who have been affected by COVID-19.

Up to late yesterday, Italy had more than 12,000 confirmed cases with over 800 deaths. Italian authorities have placed the country on complete shutdown with all sporting events being halted.

Some football games in and around Europe have also been played without spectators.

“Some of my friends in Italy have been affected by it as their national championships were cancelled due to the virus. This virus is a major concern to all athletes, because firstly it would be less than ideal if you got the virus personally, but also the impact it’s having on sporting events worldwide is a difficult situation,” Knight-Wisdom argued.

“Sport is an entertainment business at the end of the day, and for events to be held without fans in the stadiums, it would definitely reduce the quality of competition in my opinion, and our aim as athletes is to compete at our best. So the cancellation of events means that many athletes may be hitting their peak and not being able to actually perform,” he reasoned.

On Wednesday, the WHO formally declared COVID-19 a pandemic, with global figures showing 129,771 cases and 4,751 deaths.

However, Olympic organisers are adamant that the Tokyo Games will go ahead as planned in four months.

Knight-Wisdom, who became the first Jamaican diver, as well as the first male diver from any Caribbean nation, to participate at the Olympics back in 2016, welcomed the news, noting that he would be bitterly disappointed if the Olympics were to be cancelled.

“To compete at the Olympics was nine-year-old Yona’s dream. Even though I already achieved that dream in 2016, there were no limits and I would love to experience it again and again.

“I love the training, as difficult as it can be; I love the camaraderie between myself and the people I train and compete with; and I love the thrill of competing, no matter what the level is,” Knight-Wisdom shared.

“So I would certainly be disappointed to not get a chance to achieve my lifetime dream due to factors out of my control, but I would accept the circumstances and begin working towards the next goal. But let’s hope it doesn’t come to that though,” he ended.