Interview
Olympic champion Edwin Moses on covid-19, race and trans athletes
- The continuation of the Tokyo Games in 2021 or later remains uncertain, with potential for further postponement contingent on improved conditions, while even ideal scenarios by 2022 are viewed as unlikely to support safe global participant gathering.
- Failure to hold the Tokyo Games in 2021 or later is expected to cause significant impact across the broader sporting world.
- Over the next three to five years, progress in opportunities for young people may face regression due to recent Supreme Court actions rolling back societal changes established over the last two decades.
- Current projections indicate a young person today may have 300% to 500% more opportunities than the athlete Edwin Moses possessed 40 years ago.
- Athletes are expected to inevitably express views on diverse issues including racism, clean water, disease, refugees, war, landmines, and gas warfare, as such expression cannot be contained.
- The use of powerful doping substances is projected to continue unabated in many countries, necessitating the indefinite persistence of a "cat and mouse" dynamic between drug development and detection.
- Doping testing methods are expected to evolve to become significantly more effective at identifying historically undetected substances, even as new substances continue to emerge.
- Decisions regarding transgender and intersex athletes will likely force competitors to choose between lowering testosterone levels via medication or facing competition bans, based on organizational reliance on distinct sex categories tied to the biological advantage of higher testosterone production in men.
- Life skills acquired through sports, such as personal development, academic pursuit, and professional advancement, are anticipated to yield long-term benefits for athletes beyond their physical performance.