Jamaica’s British-born gymnast Danusia Francis has hit out against the United Kingdom Government for the unfair and biased manner in which they have lifted restrictions for athletes who have been in lockdown for the past few months due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

According to Francis, the Government is only allowing elite athletes from Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as 2022 Commonwealth Games contenders from England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey, and the Isle of Man back to training.

But, elite athletes, like herself, who reside in the United Kingdom but represent other countries, and who are bracing for next year’s Olympic Games, were not considered for a return to training and are still left playing the waiting game.

Francis, an Olympic-bound athlete, believes this move is unjust, and as a result, has called on the Government to address the situation as soon as possible to ease the tension of those anxious to get back into the field.

“I am very understanding of the situation when it comes to the health and safety regarding COVID-19. However, it is now deemed safe enough for elite athletes in this country to return to training and my coaches are ready and eager for my return and have prepared the gym following all the protocols and guidelines.

“But the current rules in place are stopping me returning… the Government needs to include elite athletes living here who represent other countries in their criteria,” Francis told the Jamaica Observer from her London base on Wednesday.

The new guidelines state that all elite athletes keen on returning to training will have to undergo a check-in with a medical expert – where the risks of COVID-19 are set out and their health checked before going back to their clubs or high-performance centres.

However, United Kingdom’s sport chief executive Sally Munday, who led the working group that established the guidelines, noted that the publication of this guidance does not mean that all Olympic and Paralympic sports and athletes should return to training straight away.

As such, athletes like Francis are forced to continue working out at home, as coaches could be fined for going against the Government’s ruling. She also pointed out that they are not covered by insurance if they break the rules.

“I know there are quite a few athletes residing in the US [United States] who compete for other countries, including my Jamaican teammates, and they are back to training now. So I hope the UK Government can change this rule as soon as possible,” Francis, who was a reserve athlete for Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics, noted.

On the other hand, Francis had to overcome the recent death of a loved one to the vicious virus, which has infected over seven million and killed more than 400,000 people across the globe.

In the UK, there has been over 290,000 infections and more than 41,000 deaths.

This, she said, briefly affected her mentally, but her coaches played a big role in assisting her to cope with the situation.

“I lost a family member to COVID and also my cat within a week, which was very difficult. So mentally it has also been hard to stay motivated every day, but my coaches have done a good job of motivating us over Zoom,” she shared.

The 26-year-old, who late last year became the second Jamaican gymnast to qualify for the Olympic Games after Toni-Ann Williams in 2016, is undaunted by the fact that she will have to wait an extra year to make her much-anticipated Olympic debut.

In fact, she is determined to put in the hard work, knowing that an extra year could make the experience that much more meaningful, not only for her, but also for the world watching.

“I am staying motivated by remembering the end goal, which is the Tokyo Olympics. I want to represent Jamaica to the best of my ability next summer and make everybody proud. It’s been a long journey, but this keeps me going every day,” said Francis, adding that the break has allowed her to recover from aches and pains, while working on my weaknesses.

“My goal for the rest of the year is to finally get back into the gym to get my skills and confidence back, build endurance, and then get back into competition mode ready for Tokyo. I am not sure if I will compete or not this year, so we will have to make a proper plan when we have more clarity on when we can get back in the gym,” Francis, who enters her 21st year of gymnastics, ended.