Coronavirus: Canada says it won't send team to Olympics

Pressure mounts on IOC and Japan to postpone world's biggest sporting event

Last updated: March 23, 2020 | 06:00

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A woman pauses for photos next to the Olympic rings near the New National Stadium in Tokyo, Monday, March 23, 2020.

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Paralympic Committee (CPC) said on Sunday that Team Canada would not be participating in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2020.

"The COC and CPC urgently call on the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to postpone the Games for one year and we offer them our full support in helping navigate all the complexities that rescheduling the Games will bring," the committees said in a statement.

"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," it added.