Canada urges delay, won’t send team in July

QUOTE OF THE DAY He is starting to resemble in stature the likes of Roger Federer. Year-in, year-out he keeps coming back to the front… He is a phenomenon.” Damon Hil on Lewis Hamilton (caricature).

CANADIAN Olympic officials yesterday urged postponement of the Tokyo Games, saying that in view of the coronavirus pandemic they won’t send a team in the summer of 2020.

“The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC), backed by their Athletes’ Commissions, National Sports Organisations and the Government of Canada, have made the difficult decision to not send Canadian teams to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2020,” the COC said in a statement that ratchets up the pressure on the International Olympic Committee to postpone the Games scheduled to start on July 24.

The IOC has come under increasing pressure to push back the games and IOC president Thomas Bach said a decision on when the Games would take place would be made “within the next four weeks.”

Canadian Olympic and Paralympic authorities, however, said they wouldn’t wait that long, urging the IOC to postpone the Games for one year while offering “our full support in helping navigate all the complexities that rescheduling the Games will bring”.

“While we recognise the inherent complexities around a postponement, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the world community,” the COC and CPC said.

“This is not solely about athlete health – it is about public health,” their statement added.

“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.”

In related news, Australian Olympic officials yesterday said “it was clear” that the Tokyo Games could not go ahead as scheduled and told its athletes to instead prepare for the event in 2021.

The Australian Olympic Committee convened a board meeting yesterday and unanimously decided a Games starting in July was not possible given the uncertainty around the pandemic.

“It’s clear the Games can’t be held in July,” Australian chef-de-mission Ian Chesterman said.

“Our athletes have been magnificent in their positive attitude to training and preparing, but the stress and uncertainty has been extremely challenging for them.”

AOC chief executive Matt Carroll said athletes needed certainty, and they must also prioritise their health and that of their families.

The board meeting decided an Australian team “could not be assembled in the changing circumstances at home and abroad” and they should now plan for an Olympics in the northern hemisphere summer next year. AFP