Canada has announced that it will not be participating in Tokyo Olympics 2020. Do you think more countries will follow suit? How likely do you think the event will be cancelled due to Covid-19?

Hi Anon,

I don't think that the Tokyo Olympics 2020 should be cancelled completely but should be postponed instead. It doesn't seem right to go ahead as planned for it to happen this year. How much of social distancing can we really enforce in such a huge event like when the number of people attending will be massive? There's too much at stake and we'll be putting too many people's lives at risks.

If the decision to go ahead as planned (which I highly doubt) comes through, I think more countries will pull out from the games eventually and that would then defeat the purpose of the Olympic Games being an international competition for athletes.

Hi Anon!

Personally, I think the Tokyo Olympic Games will be postponed to 2021. With the original date of the Olympics occuring in 4 months time, and there being no end in sight for the Covid-19 pandemic, the postponement of the Olympic Games seems more like a when, rather than an if.

So far, 2 major sporting nations have pulled out of the 2020 Olympics- Australia and Canada. Many are to follow suit, with World Athletics President Seb Coe sending a letter to IOC President Thomas Bach, saying that holding the Olympics in July “is neither feasible nor desirable.” Moreover, National Olympic committees in Brazil and Slovenia have also called for postponement until 2021, and Norway’s Olympic body said it did not want athletes going to Tokyo until the global health crisis is under control.

The mounting pressure on the IOC to postpone the games should result in this year's Olympics being cancelled, I'd be very surprised if the IOC continued ahead as planned.

Hope this helps! :)