The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) announced Sunday night that they will not send athletes to the Olympic Games scheduled to be held in Tokyo from July 24 to August 9. Canada became the first country to withdraw from the Olympics amid fears of a coronavirus pandemic.

Following the COC and CPC announcements, Ian Chesterman, head of the Australian delegation, also asked the ICO to postpone the Games until 2021. He also told the country's athletes to begin preparations for the Games to be held next year.

The COC and CPC have asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), and the World Health Organization (WHO) to postpone the Games for one year.

"We fully support them in resolving any complications that rescheduling the Games may bring. While we recognize the inherent complexities surrounding the postponement, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the global community," the press statement said.

According to the press statement, the national decision not to send athletes to this summer's Games was supported by the athletes' committee, national sports organizations, and the Canadian government.

"This is a public health issue as well as an athlete health issue.

"Given COVID-19 and the risks associated with it, it is not safe for the health and safety of athletes, their families, and the broader Canadian community to continue training for this competition. In fact, it is contrary to the public health advice we urge all Canadians to follow."

The IOC reiterated on Sunday that the cancellation of the Olympic Games "is not on the agenda," but said it would decide within four weeks whether the coronavirus pandemic would force a postponement.

The IOC's Executive Board (EB) said that canceling the Olympics "will not solve any problems and will not help anyone," but in connection with "modifying the existing operational plan to hold the Olympic Games on July 24, 2020, and also changing the start date of the Games for the Games," he stated that "scenario planning will be enhanced.

The COC and CPC confirmed the letter sent by the IOC on Sunday, thanking the IOC for its assurance that the Tokyo 2020 Games would not be canceled and stating that they were grateful that the IOC understood the importance of expediting decisions regarding possible postponements.

"We also applaud the IOC for acknowledging that protecting the health and welfare of nations and containing the virus must be our overriding concern. We are in the midst of a global health crisis that is far more serious than sports," the COC and CPC statement said.

"The COC and CPC would like to thank our athletes, partners, and the Canadian sporting community for their patience and for lending their voices at this unprecedented time, as part of our collective responsibility to help the IOC and IPC protect our communities and stop the spread of the virus. We remain hopeful that they will agree with our decision to postpone the Games as such."

According to a CBC report, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that a postponement of the Tokyo Olympics would be inevitable if a coronavirus pandemic prevents the Games from being held in their full form. Abe also said that if the Games were to be postponed, he hoped the IOC would make that decision soon, as the process would require a lot of work.

Just three days ago, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he tentatively supported the Olympics being held as scheduled. However, in a new speech on Monday, he said he agrees with the COC's decision not to send Canadian athletes to the Games.

"This is absolutely the right decision and everyone should follow their lead," Trudeau said.