Canada withdraws from Tokyo Summer Olympics due to COVID-19 concerns

The Canadian Olympic Committee has just announced that Canada will not be sending its athletes to Tokyo this summer for the Olympics due to risks associated with COVID-19 / Coronavirus. This includes athletes competing in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

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

The statement released today by the Canadian Olympic Committee clarified that the decision was based on public health concerns.

“This is not solely about athlete health – it is about public health. With COVID-19 and the associated risks, it is not safe for our athletes, and the health and safety of their families and the broader Canadian community for athletes to continue training towards these Games. In fact, it runs counter to the public health advice which we urge all Canadians to follow.”

The statement ended by thanking all those affected by the decision, especially the athletes.

“The COC and CPC would like to thank our athletes, partners and the Canadian sport community for their patience and for lending us their voices during these unprecedented times. We remain hopeful that the IOC and IPC will agree with the decision to postpone the Games as a part of our collective responsibility to protect our communities and work to contain the spread of the virus.”

While this decision is one that should probably be made by all countries, it is extremely disappointing for the athletes who have trained for the last four years to compete in such a world class event. We will wait and see which other countries follow Canada in choosing not to send their athletes to the Olympics because of COVID-19 / Coronavirus. ■

Please visit our News section for more updates on COVID-19 / Coronavirus.

The full press release from the Canadian Olympic Committee can be found here.

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