Team Canada Won't Send Athletes to 2020 Tokyo Olympics Due to COVID-19
Mar 22, 2020
Canada's Andre De Grasse celebrates with the national flag after finishing third in the Men's 100m final at the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships at the Khalifa International stadium in Doha on September 28, 2019. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP) (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)
Canada is pulling its athletes out of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
On Sunday, the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Committees said they would not send their athletes to Japan this summer and urged the International Olympic and Paralympic Committees to postpone the Games for a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
BREAKING: The Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee will refuse to send athletes to the Tokyo Olympics if the event is not postponed.The 2020 Games are currently set to begin on July 24. News release: pic.twitter.com/NT8twsqAXI
"This is not solely about athlete health—it is about public health," the COC and CPC said in their statement. "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 for these Games. In fact, it runs counter to the public health advice which we urge all Canadians to follow."
Australia is following suit and preparing its athletes instead for the possibility of a 2021 Summer Olympics:
Australia's Olympic Committee executive board on Monday "unanimously agreed that an Australian Team could not be assembled in the changing circumstances at home and abroad." pic.twitter.com/8tV0MmOPAK
On Sunday, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said for the first time that postponing the Games is a possibility if there isn't a way to hold the event in its "complete form," per Reuters (h/t New York Times).
Abe said that canceling the Games altogether is not an option, however.
Additionally, Reuters reported that the International Olympic Committee held an emergency meeting and is "stepping up its 'scenario planning' for the 2020 Games due to start on July 24, including a possible postponement."
IOC President Thomas Bach also indicated that the committee will come to a decision in the next month in a letter addressed to Olympic athletes:
"Together with all the stakeholders, we have started detailed discussions today to complete our assessment of the rapid development of the worldwide health situation and its impact on the Olympic Games, including a scenario of postponement. We are working very hard, and we are confident that we will have finalized these discussions within the next four weeks."
As for Canada's decision to pull out of this summer's Olympics barring a postponement, it could prompt other countries to take similar actions. ESPN's Michele Steele tweeted that such a measure "is not off the table for U.S. athletes, either."
And there is mounting pressure for the IOC and Japan to delay the Games:
In a letter obtained by @CBCNews to IOC President Thomas Bach — World Athletics President Sebastian Coe says the time has come to postpone Tokyo 2020.
“Olympic Games in July this year is neither feasible nor desirable” he said.
USA Swimming respectfully requests that the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee advocate for the postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. pic.twitter.com/q5bhUwi05q
Given the uncertain timeline of the coronavirus pandemic and the limitations measures like social distancing place on athletes and their training, postponement appears to be gaining steam as a viable option. There have been over 244,000 reported cases of the coronavirus and 12,944 deaths, according to CNN.com.
Canada Olympic Speedskating 2018: Top Performers from Sunday
Feb 18, 2018
Canada's Marsha Hudey competes in the women's 500m speed skating event during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Gangneung Oval in Gangneung on February 18, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Mladen ANTONOV (Photo credit should read MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/Getty Images)
There was disappointment for Canada in the speedskating at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games on Sunday, as both Marsha Hudey and Heather McLean finished out of the medals in the women's 500-metre race.
Hudey was an outside hope for a medal, and although she could not find a way onto the podium, she did come in 10th with a time of 37.88 seconds. The 27-year-old was happy with her performance, according to Charlsie Agro at CBC Olympics:
Japan's Nao Kodaira took gold, with the home fans having plenty to cheer as Republic of Korea's Lee Sang-Hwa secured silver and Czech Republic's Karolina Erbanova clinched bronze. Kodaira also recorded an Olympic record time of 36.94 seconds on the way to the gold, per the Olympic Channel:
McLean, meanwhile, finished in 14th place with a time of 38.29 seconds. The 25-year-old is performing at her first Olympics and said she can improve, per Agro:
The Canadian men's team fared little better in the team pursuit as Ted-Jan Bloemen,Jordan Belchos and Denny Morrison finished down in seventh place in the quarter-finals with a time of 3 minutes, 41.73 seconds.
The Canadian team started slowly and just could not make up the time as their medal hopes disappeared. CBC Olympics showed the team in action:
Canada will not qualify for men's team pursuit final, in 6th place and top 4 move on.
Hosts South Korea posted the fastest time of the day of 3:39.29 as they topped the standings at the Gangneung Oval. Netherlands came in second, followed by Norway and New Zealand, and these four teams now progress to the semi-finals to be held on Wednesday.
Japan and Italy were next to finish, and they will now meet to decide fifth and sixth places, with Canada due to take on the United States to decide seventh and eighth.
Morrison, who has battled back from a life-threatening motorbike accident in 2015 and and a stroke in 2016 to compete in his fourth Winter Olympics, gave his reaction on Twitter:
I want to send my thanks and gratitude to everyone who’s supported me on this epic journey. We made it a heck of a long way together! Please send all of your positive vibes and energy to @morrjos and her teammates for their upcoming Team Pursuit races!
The speedskating continues on Monday with the Canadian team involved in the women's team pursuit, while Laurent Dubreuil and Gilmore Junio go in the men's 500-metre race.
Canada Favorites in Olympic Hockey Betting in Sochi
Feb 11, 2014
Canada forward Sidney Crosby waits for a pass during a training session at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 10, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Having won two out of the past three gold medals awarded in men's hockey at the Winter Olympics, Canada is favored to repeat the feat in 2014 at Sochi.
With undeniable strength down the middle in the form of star centers Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews and Ryan Getzlaf, Team Canada opens the Olympic tournament as the 2-1 favorite on the Olympic hockey betting odds menu at most sportsbooks, as per OddsShark.
Unlike Vancouver in 2010, when Crosby scored in overtime to lift the host Canadians past Ryan Miller and the Americans 3-2 in the gold-medal game, the Canadians won't have home-ice advantage this time around.
Team Russia will have the staunch support of thousands of cheering fans in their bid to win a gold medal in men's hockey for the first time since NHL players joined the Olympic fray in 1998.
The motivated Russians will feature a mix of NHL stars including Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Pavel Datsyuk along with players such as Ilya Kovalchuk and Alexander Radulov from their own domestic Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). They are the second betting choice to win gold at 9-4 odds.
Action begins Wednesday with the Slovaks facing Sweden and Switzerland facing Latvia.
Team Sweden, rated third by the sportsbooks at 9-2 odds, will also ice a squad with considerable star power in the form of high-scoring forwards Daniel Sedin, Henrik Zetterberg and Nicklas Backstrom, as well as Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Erik Karlsson.
While Sedin's twin brother Henrik will miss the tournament due to injury, the Swedes also boast a strong track record in recent Olympic hockey history with gold medals going to Tre Kronor in both 1994 and 2006.
The Americans, meanwhile, offer tremendous value at 6-1 odds to win gold for the first time since the Miracle on Ice back in 1980. Captain Zach Parise, speedy Patrick Kane and sniper Phil Kessel will provide plenty of firepower upfront for Team USA.
They had to settle for silver in Vancouver and also dropped the gold-medal game against Team Canada back in 2002 in Salt Lake City.
Goalie-rich Finland has medaled at four of the past five Olympic tournaments, and the always-tough Czech Republic squad (winners in 1998) is certainly capable of squeezing into the medal mix at Sochi as well.
Those countries round out the top six contending teams respectively at 11-1 and 12-1 odds to win gold.
Among the longshots are Switzerland (33-1), Slovakia (40-1), Norway (200-1), Latvia (400-1), Austria and Slovenia (both at 1000-1).
Group play in the Olympic men's hockey tournament begins on February 12 with Sweden taking on the Czech Republic. Team USA opens on February 13 against Slovakia, while the host Russians square off against underdog Slovenia. Team Canada faces its first test against Norway later the same day.
Russia is listed as the 1-2 favorite to win Group A, ahead of Team USA (7-4), Slovakia (9-1) and Slovenia (100-1).
Canada is huge chalk at 1-7 odds to win Group B, with Finland (7-2), Norway (50-1) and Austria (100-1) rounding out that group.
And Sweden is favored at 1-2 odds to finish atop Group C, with the Czech Republic (2-1), Switzerland (7-1) and Latvia (80-1) also in the mix.
Ovechkin, who currently leads the NHL in scoring with 40 goals, is the 6-1 favorite to lead the Olympic tournament in goals, with Crosby (9-1), Kane (10-1) and New York Islanders star John Tavares of Team Canada (11-1) also rated highly.
Kovalchuk and Malkin are both at 12-1 odds to score the most goals.
And Ovechkin and Crosby are co-favorites to win the honors as Tournament MVP at 7-1 odds, with Kane (10-1) and Malkin (12-1) also considered top contenders. Zetterberg and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist are the leading Swedes at 15-1 to win MVP, with Miller and Finnish goalie Tuukka Rask both at 18-1.
Canada Olympic Speedskating 2014: Team's Best Shots to Medal at Sochi
Chris Roling
Feb 10, 2014
NAGANO, JAPAN - JANUARY 18: Christine Nesbitt of Canada competes in ladies 1000m during Essent ISU World Sprint Speed Skating Championships 2014 at M Wave on January 18, 2014 in Nagano, Japan. (Photo by Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images)
Team Canada figures to hit the podium multiple times in speedskating during the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.
Despite historically being one of the sport's more dominant countries, Canada has fallen behind in the public perception department this year thanks to strong German and Dutch squads, not to mention the sudden rise to prominence of the American team.
The Games in Sochi are just underway, and the Canadians continue to fly under the radar. Those at fault of overlooking the talented team will learn a few names from podium appearances by Canada's athletes before the Games end.
Denny Morrison
Lost in the hype of the United States' Shani Davis is Canada's Denny Morrison, who is an unheralded force sure to put up strong numbers in the 1,500-meter event.
Morrison has quite the history in the sport, as he won bronze in 2006 and a gold in the team pursuit in 2010 in Vancouver. He also held a world record in the 1,500-meter event at one point.
More interesting is Morrison's unique path to the Games in Sochi. He broke his leg cross-country skiing in December of 2012 and had to first turn his attention to how to survive before he could think about Sochi, via The Canadian Press:
I was stuck in the woods, kind of by myself. I had to get myself out of there. Within two days I was focused on, `What am I doing now to recover?' The Olympics are still a ways away and I've got to prepare for those.
Morrison is completely healthy now and gives Canada a good shot at medals in two events. Two podium appearances for Morrison are not out of the question if he can regain his old form.
Brittany Schussler
Brittany Schussler has yet to make an abundance of noise in the Games from Sochi, but there is still a chance she pulls it together and leads her country to a medal.
Schussler finished 19th in the 3,000-meter event, but has seemingly always had a preference for the 1,500-meter race and the team pursuit.
The 2014 Games mark Schussler's second appearance in the Olympics. In Vancouver, she finished no better than 25th in the 1,000- and 1,500-meter events, but was a key cog in the highly touted team pursuit squad.
She will be back in action in that regard with the next athlete on the list.
Christine Nesbitt
Like Morrison, Christine Nesbitt has quite the interesting story going into the Games as she looks to fight her way back from celiac disease.
Nesbitt won the 1,000-meter race in Vancouver, but much has changed since then. Outside of her obvious personal battles, the emergence of Team USA with Heather Richardson and Brittany Bowe pose a major threat to Nesbitt this time around.
Nesbitt is a veteran, as one can surely tell from her quotes about the vast array of challenges she will face, via Tony Ambrogio:
Nesbitt is set to compete in the 500, 1,000, 1,500 and team pursuit events, so fans can count on her to make at least one podium appearance, if not more.
