Canada pulls out of Tokyo2020 Olympics amid mounting pressure on host country Japan and the International Olympic Committee to postpone the Games due to the coronavirus outbreak
TORONTO/TOKYO - Canada became the first country to boycott the Tokyo Games due to the coronavirus pandemic and Australia told its athletes to prepare for an Olympics next year as Japan and the IOC flagged the prospect of a postponement for the first time.
Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic Committees raised the ante considerably, however, when they said they would not be sending athletes to Tokyo if the Games went ahead as scheduled. “The world is facing a crisis and this is more important than any other sport event,” Richard told Reuters from Ottawa.Richard said for Paralympic athletes, some of whom had underlying conditions, it would be risky to expose them if the virus was not contained.
“If that becomes difficult, we may have no option but to consider postponing the Games, given the Olympic principle of putting the health of athletes first,” he said. “The AOC unanimously agreed that an Australian team could not be assembled in the changing circumstances at home and abroad,” read the statement.
The the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said it would not be commenting on Sunday about Canada’s decision.“The progress reflected in today’s IOC update ... is an important step in providing clarity but our athlete community continues to face enormous ambiguity surrounding the 2020 Games in Tokyo,” USOPC chief executive Sarah Hirshland and athletes advisory council chair Han Xiao said in a statement.
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