The Canadian Olympic Committee says it will not send a team to the Tokyo Games unless they are postponed for a year.
Canada is the first country to threaten such a move in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s the right thing to do, I think there’s no question about that,” said John Curtis, a former Canadian Olympic sailer. He and Oskar Johansson took part in the 2004 Athens games.
Curtis said he feels for the athletes affected by the decision.
“I think that’s one of the hardest things for the athletes, that there’s really no one to be angry with. They’re just angry and upset and millions of emotions racing through their brains. This is a very difficult thing to process. One of the things people may not understand is how intense a period it is when you’re getting down to the fine strokes on an Olympic trial. You live, eat, breath, sleep — it is all-consuming and to have it cut short like this, it takes your breath away. ”
Curtis, now a conflict resolution specialist working in Kingston, has a message, at least for the sailors.
“These people need your support again,” he said.
“Sadly, yes, this next crop of Olympians are going to have to spend a lot more money than under regular circumstances, and I hope everyone can step up and support that because they don’t get enough money from the government and without the support of individual Canadians, this just won’t be possible, so I hope people support that.”
The International Olympic Committee says it will consider the possibility of postponing the Games. The IOC is set to hold four weeks of discussions with global sports officials and Japanese authorities to examine the options.