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Canada will not be participating on the Tokyo Olympics if the games go ahead as planned on July 24. An official statement from the Canadian Olympic Committee has called on the International Olympic Committee to postpone the games for one year.
The announcement comes just hours after IOC President Thomas Bach confirmed for the first time that considerations for the postponement of the Games were taking place. Though Japan has seemingly avoided the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic to now, its global impact has prompted numerous athletes and officials to voice their concerns over the IOC’s reluctance to postpone.
Bach now says that a four-week deadline has been set to decide on the fate of the world’s largest sporting event. The declaration confirmed that cancellation of the Games is not on the table, leaving postponement of at least several months the only alternative.
A large number of qualifying events have been cancelled or postponed, leaving many spots across numerous sports unfilled. One each of rugby’s men’s and women’s divisions are yet to be decided though both Canada and the USA have already clinched their spot.
The COC’s announcement may well prompt other participating countries to follow suit and force the IOC to act sooner than their proposed deadline.
