Canada has proven, once again, to be a world leader in the fight against COVID-19.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, our country’s premiers and top public health officials have done a remarkable job of updating Canadians over the last couple of weeks on the latest measures to quell the surge of the novel coronavirus.
Messages of flattening the curve, social distancing, self-isolating, as well as economic and societal announcements have become a daily routine, and, for the most part, Canadians are doing their part to stop the spread of the pandemic in this country by staying home.
The latest example of leadership and prudence has come from the Canadian Olympic Committee, which sent out a statement Sunday night to announce that Canada will not send a team to Tokyo, Japan, for the Summer Olympic unless the Games are rescheduled to 2021.
The COC was the first in the world to make this proclamation in what was likely a difficult decision considering the impact on our athletes and coaches who have been planning and training for the last four years, but this should be seen as a brave and bold move to keep our citizens safe.
The writing is on the wall for the 2020 Olympics and the International Olympic Committee has read Canada’s message loud and clear.
In an interview with Global News, International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound said the Games will be postponed as COVID-19 continues to spread.
This is just another example of how Canada is leading the way during the COVID-19 pandemic.