"We have lost a year for sport all sport. If I were still an athlete, I would be thinking about next year."

Ephraim Serrette is not holding out much hope for the resumption of sport in 2020.

And the National Association of Athletics Administrations of Trinidad and Tobago (NAAATT) president told the Express he supports the postponement of the Olympic Games to 2021 in the wake of COVID-19.

"It was inevitable. When you look at this global pandemic, you're talking about the safety of 200-odd countries and the uncertainty of when this whole thing would end. It was the best thing."

Serrette said the International Olympic Committee (IOC)/Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee decision to not proceed with the July 24 to August 9, 2020 dates for the Games levels the playing field.

"Had they gone ahead, I think we would have seen mediocre performances and fewer countries participating. Already, we saw Australia and Canada pulling out, and a number of other countries may have done the same thing to protect their athletes. I don't think people understand the magnitude of this pandemic. It's not just sport. It's affecting life and economics.

"There are pros and cons for our athletes," the NAAATT boss continued. "A lot of people were preparing and hoping to deliver at the 2020 Games. But when it comes to safety and these sorts of things, we have no control. A lot of athletes were challenged because of facilities being closed and Diamond League meets being cancelled. Those meets are important to gauge where you are."

Serrette said postponement of the Olympic Games has created scheduling difficulties for 2021.

"Next year's schedule has World Champs for swimming (in Fukuoka, Japan), as well as athletics in Eugene, Oregon (USA), so with Worlds and Olympics in the same year, I don't know what kind of negotiations will take place. World Athletics may ask Oregon to shift to 2022. Even for Trinidad and Tobago, we're supposed to host the Commonwealth Youth Games so that could pose a challenge."

The 2020 Carifta Games, originally scheduled for April 10 to 13 in Bermuda, has been postponed to a date to be announced. The North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) is expected to make a decision on the fate of the Games in the near future. Serrette, who serves as treasurer of NACAC, does not anticipate good news coming out of the association's deliberations.

"From where I sit, I don't think Carifta 2020 will come off. The Games provide an opportunity for athletes to showcase their talent to American university scouts, so for those in their final junior year, it would be very unfortunate if it doesn't happen. It would also be very unfortunate for athletes making their first Carifta team."

Five-time javelin champion Tyriq Horsford is among the T&T athletes who have benefitted from the Carifta Games stage. The 20-year-old Tobago thrower is now on scholarship at Mississippi State University.

Serrette said the current global situation creates an opportunity for NACAC to re-think the traditional Easter weekend staging of the regional junior championships.

"One of the challenges of Carifta on Easter weekend is cost for travel. It's a busy period for airlines, so the possibility of staging Carifta at a later date may be something for the NACAC Board to look at. In a World U20 year, Carifta could be a precursor to that meet. However, Carifta ought to be scheduled when athletes are out of school, so that would also be a consideration in scheduling."

On Tuesday, World Athletics announced postponement of the 2020 World U20 Championships to a date to be announced. The meet was originally scheduled for July 7 to 12 in Nairobi, Kenya.