Athens, March 20th, 2020
Dear runners, dear race organisers, dear sponsors and dear friends of AIMS,
Because of the coronavirus pandemic many AIMS events have been - and will yet be - either cancelled or postponed from their previously planned dates. With ever-growing feelings of sadness and responsibility we are having to face up to increasing levels of alarm arising from different sources but which all impact upon us.
The coronavirus started in Asia then moved to Europe and quickly involved the whole world with a battle that we never imagined could affect us so deeply - and the depths of the crisis have yet to be discovered.
That said, on behalf of our Association allow me to offer some ideas from the running community towards what I believe could infuse a positive approach for organisers, sponsors, and runners in order to strengthen our physical and mental focus. This is not just to help ourselves but to raise the motivation of our teams and our family to face up to this daunting challenge.
Firstly, as in any competition, we must fully accept and comply with the rules: in this case those issued by the responsible authorities. This is a collective struggle requiring collective answers; our sporting community must be exemplary.
Then we must work to promote, within our community, the sporting values of responsibility and solidarity in order to support those who cannot, under the present demanding conditions, fulfil their basic activities.
Finally: we must keep training to maintain ourselves in the best possible condition. By doing so we help not only ourselves but all the people who surround us. Believe me: they will be grateful.
We can do it for a very basic reason: we belong to the RUNNING community.
Adelante...
Paco Borao President of AIMS
