Officials in Canada and Australia said Sunday they would not send athletes to the Summer Olympics in Tokyo because of the threat of the coronavirus.
The countries are the first teams to announce they won’t attend the Olympics this summer. Both called for the games to be postponed a year.
Their decision adds to the pressure on Olympics organizers to postpone the games during the coronavirus crisis.
The International Olympic Committee conceded Sunday that it may have to postpone the event, but said cancellation was not an option. A decision would be made in the next four weeks, the committee said.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has also said that the Olympics may have to be delayed.
“When it comes to hosting the 2020 Games, I don’t believe the world is in any condition to do so at this time,” Abe said during a parliamentary session Monday.
President Trump said the United States would back whatever decision Abe makes.
“We will be guided by the wishes of Prime Minister Abe of Japan, a great friend of the United States and a man who has done a magnificent job on the Olympic Venue, as to attending the Olympic Games in Japan. He will make the proper decision!” Trump tweeted Monday.
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We will be guided by the wishes of Prime Minister Abe of Japan, a great friend of the United States and a man who has done a magnificent job on the Olympic Venue, as to attending the Olympic Games in Japan. He will make the proper decision!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2020
