Canada will not be sending athletes to the Tokyo Olympics in the summer of 2020. The Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee announced Sunday night that they will refuse to send athletes if the Games are not postponed, becoming the first country to officially announce their intentions to withdraw from the games barring a postponement.The decision comes as a result of the health risks posed by the COVID-19 outbreak.
The coronavirus pandemic has forced the postponement and cancellation of numerous sporting events all over the world and is threatening the status of the 2020 Games in Tokyo, which are slated to begin in late July.