Team Canada pulls athletes out of Tokyo Olympic Games due to COVID-19
Well, here is some massive news. Team Canada will not be sending any athletes to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games unless they are postponed by a full year. Wow.
On Sunday evening, Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic Committees both issued statements that unless the Games are pushed back until 2021, no Canadian athletes will be heading to Tokyo. Obviously, this bold move is a direct result of the increased risk the COVID-19 outbreak poses.
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RELEASE: The Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee have made the difficult decision to not send Canadian teams to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2020: https://t.co/HyOBA5wwp4 pic.twitter.com/x9OWABVxMA
— Team Canada PR (@TeamCanadaPR) March 23, 2020
“While we recognize the inherent complexities around a postponement, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the world community,” said the Canadian Olympic Committee.
Team Canada is the first nation to remove itself from the Olympics, but the move might prompt other countries to follow suit. The International Olympic Committee has stated that it has imposed a 4-week deadline on its decision about the 2020 games. Obviously, that decision to postpone now includes extra pressure, as Canada’s departure could be the first of many.
The Summer Olympic Games are slated to start on July 24th, with the Paralympic games beginning on August 25th.
