If the Olympic Games continue in Tokyo in the summer of 2020, Canadian athletes will not participate. The Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced this on Sunday.
Both organizations call on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the World Health Organization to postpone the Games by one year due to the coronavirus outbreak. “We are in the midst of a global health crisis that is far more important than sport,” said the Canadians.
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has yet to go as far as to boycott the Games if they happen this summer, but has advised Australian athletes to prepare for any Olympic Games in Tokyo in the summer of 2021. ” We believe that athletes should now put their own health and that of their environment first and be given the opportunity to be with their families, “said the AOC.
IOC gives itself four weeks for a decision
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe first acknowledged on Monday that the Olympic Games in his capital, Tokyo, could be postponed if the event could not take place “in its full form” due to the corona pandemic.
Earlier on Sunday, it was announced that the IOC will give itself four weeks to decide whether or not to continue the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Due to the corona crisis, international pressure to move the event is increasing.
It is the first time that the IOC has spoken openly about the option of postponing the Games. The four-yearly sporting event is scheduled to start in 123 days and last from July 24 to August 9. The Paralympics should start on August 25.
Follow the latest developments around the virus in the sports world in us live blog.
The coronavirus in short
- The coronavirus mainly spreads through sneezes and cough drops. The virus can be transmitted directly from person to person or (for a limited time) through surfaces such as door handles.
- An infected person infects two to three others on average. Precautions are necessary to contain this.
- The vast majority of patients have mild (flu-like) complaints.
- Nearly all deaths involve the elderly or other frail, such as heart, lung or diabetes patients. If everyone complies with the measures, this reduces their risks.
- Read here what precautions you should take.
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