Canada Will Not Send Athletes To 2020 Olympics Unless Postponed

The Canadian Olympic Committee says the country will not be sending any athletes to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics unless the event is postponed for one year, as a result of the Coronavirus, according to ESPN.

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“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,” the Canadian Olympic Committee said in a statement. “This is not solely about athlete health — it is about public health.”

On Sunday, the International Olympic Committee announced that the organization would decide whether to postpone the 2020 Olympics within the next four weeks.

“We are working very hard, and we are confident that we will have finalized these discussions within the next four weeks,” says IOC president Thomas Bach in a letter sent to athletes. “These scenarios relate to modifying existing operational plans for the Games to go ahead on 24 July 2020, and also for changes to the start date of the Games. This step will allow better visibility of the rapidly changing development of the health situation around the world and in Japan. It will serve as the basis for the best decision in the interest of the athletes and everyone else involved.”

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics are scheduled to begin on July 24.