Canadian athletes to not compete in Tokyo Olympics

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) on Monday decided to not send their teams to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2020.

The Tokyo Olympic Games are slated to be held from July 24 to August 9, while the Paralympic Games are scheduled to be held from August 25 to September 6.

The COC and CPC are also calling for the games to be postponed by one year.

"While we recognize the inherent complexities around a postponement, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the world community," the committee said in a statement.

"This is not solely about athlete health - it is about public health. 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," the statement added.

Many athletes have earlier raised concerns over the quadrennial event taking place despite the spread of the deadly virus.

On March 17, the IOC had said that they are 'fully committed' to the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympic and added that 'there is no need for any drastic decisions at this stage' despite coronavirus outbreak.

"The IOC remains fully committed to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and with more than four months to go before the Games there is no need for any drastic decisions at this stage, and any speculation at this moment would be counter-productive," IOC had said in a statement.