The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) said on Monday that it could not send a team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to the coronavirus pandemic and that its athletes should get ready for the Games to be postponed to 2021.
Chief Executive of AOC, Matt Carroll said the AOC’s executive board had made its decision without waiting for advice from the IOC because of the changing circumstances with the pandemic in recent days.
Carroll’s comments came after Canada declared to withdraw from the Olympics and Paralympics in the summer of 2020.
Talking to reporters in Sydney on Monday, Carroll said”We’ve had to make a call now because of the situation here in Australia and other parts of the world.” “But the IOC is still working through their final decision-making.”
Carroll further said AOC’s decision would give its athletes certainty and pushed for the Games to be held off until 2021.
Earlier on Monday AOC made a statement saying that it’s decision reflected the IOC’s “key principles of putting athlete health first and ensuring it acted in their best interests and the interests of sport.
