Canada withdraws from 2020 Tokyo Olympics

[Edwin Santos]

This evening I read the news that Canada is the first country to formally withdraw from the Games due to the Coronavirus pandemic citing concerns over not just athlete health but public health also.
Must have been a very difficult decision and kudos to Canada for taking the responsible step. After all, how can elimination competition and training go on in an environment of social distancing and complete societal disruption.

Needless to say, this will put enormous pressure on Japan, whose Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been steadfastly determined that the Games should proceed as scheduled in July. Japan has invested tens of billions of dollars in preparation for the Games so I can only imagine the predicament he is in. They can only postpone so far before the postponement would conflict with the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing or the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.
What havoc this virus is wreaking on the world.

[Doug Dawson]

This evening I read the news that Canada is the first country to formally withdraw from the Games due to the Coronavirus pandemic citing concerns over not just athlete health but public health also.
Must have been a very difficult decision and kudos to Canada for taking the responsible step. After all, how can elimination competition and training go on in an environment of social distancing and complete societal disruption.

Needless to say, this will put enormous pressure on Japan, whose Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been steadfastly determined that the Games should proceed as scheduled in July. Japan has invested tens of billions of dollars in preparation for the Games so I can only imagine the predicament he is in. They can only postpone so far before the postponement would conflict with the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing or the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.
What havoc this virus is wreaking on the world.

It was just a matter of time. Some 70% of the Japanese (NYTimes today) were expecting the thing to not go off. NBC was going to send 2000 people over there to cover it, that was a bit of a snag.

Next year in Tokyo! (Yay common sense.) Obvious training restrictions on athletes now was a big issue.

[Bill Dufour]

I read that the scheduled time is the worst possible weather in Tokyo. Hot, muggy, smoggy. it should be held in late October, like last time, when the fall weather is cooler and less muggy. The IOC refused to move the month because of tv viewers and sponsors money? More then 50 people died from the heat in the summer last year in July.
Bil lD

[Ben Grefe]

I have read opinion articles that Tokyo and the IOC are playing a game of chicken. The IOC is waiting for Tokyo to call it off; Tokyo is waiting on the IOC. I can only guess that money is involved somehow.

Given the trajectory of infections in the US and Europe, I don’t see how the Olympics actually happen. I think it’s just a matter of time.

[Doug Dawson]

I have read opinion articles that Tokyo and the IOC are playing a game of chicken. The IOC is waiting for Tokyo to call it off; Tokyo is waiting on the IOC. I can only guess that money is involved somehow.

Given the trajectory of infections in the US and Europe, I don’t see how the Olympics actually happen. I think it’s just a matter of time.

The same thing happened in Austin with the SXSW festival (although on a smaller scale.) Nobody wants to say No, but it becomes increasingly obvious that You Just Can't Do It. (Money is always a consideration.) Look where we'd be now if it had been otherwise.

[Frank Pratt]

Part of the reason behind the Canadian cancellation was that proper training can't be done without excessive exposure to others.

[Brian Elfert]

I read something a week or so ago about financial penalties in contracts the IOC has that go into affect if the games are not held in 2020. That seems to a be major reason the IOC doesn't want to postpone to 2021.

[Lee DeRaud]

This evening I read the news that Canada is the first country to formally withdraw from the Games due to the Coronavirus pandemic citing concerns over not just athlete health but public health also.

Followed almost immediately by Australia.

I suspect there are a bunch of countries (Italy being the obvious one) that made that decision weeks ago and have just been too busy to bother putting out a press release.

[Ben Grefe]

Well I'm not sure who blinked, but the Olympics have officially been postponned to 2021.

[Rod Sheridan]

Part of the reason behind the Canadian cancellation was that proper training can't be done without excessive exposure to others.

That's true, also our canoe has a leak and the stores are shut down so we're stranded up here in Canada

All joking aside, I think it was a good decision, we need to minimize the effects of this pandemic.......Rod.

[Derek Meyer]

The 2020 Olympic games have been postponed until 2021.

https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/...postponed-2021

[Mike Kees]

The 2020 Olympic games have been postponed until 2021.

https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/...postponed-2021

2020 games in 2021.Wait a minute,how does that work....

[Rod Sheridan]

2020 games in 2021.Wait a minute,how does that work....

Since they’ll have happened the year before we should know the results ahead of time

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Since they’ll have happened the year before we should know the results ahead of time

I'd be careful placing any bets on the results!