Canadian team cancels pre-Olympic training camp in Japan

The Canadian swimming team cancelled their pre-Olympic training plan in Japan ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games over concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, Kyodo reported on Friday.

The team is the latest of some 50 delegations that have pulled out of pre-Olympic training camps – the majority due to concerns over the pandemic as Tokyo and other major cities remain under a state of emergency aimed to contain a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections.

The Canadian team of about 60 swimming athletes and coaches were originally scheduled to stay in Toyota city, about 250 km (155 miles) west of Tokyo, from July 9 to July 30, the Kyodo report said.

With nine weeks to go until the postponed Games are scheduled to start on July 23, the International Olympic Committee has sought to placate growing fears in Japan that the Games would be an additional burden to a medical system already strained by the pandemic.

The IOC and other organisers will wrap up a three day meeting on Friday to discuss Olympic preparations and coronavirus countermeasures.

Multiple opinion polls, including a Reuters company survey released on Friday, have found that many do not think the Games should go ahead as planned this summer, and are seeking either a cancellation or further postponement.