Canada became the first major country to withdraw from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
They will not compete if the Games go ahead as scheduled.
Canaday’s Olympic and Paralympic committee said it had taken “the difficult decision” to withdraw after consulting athletes, sports groups, and the Canadian government.
It “urgently called” on the IOC, International Paralympic Committee and World Health Organization, to postpone the games for a year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While we recognise the inherent complexities around a postponement, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the world community,”
U.S. Track and Field and UK Athletics, along with some national Olympic committees, have called for a delay because of the pandemic.
Sebastian Coe, the head of World Athletics, has written to the IOC to say holding the games in July was “neither feasible nor desirable”.
Australia has told its athletes to prepare for an Olympics next year.
In a first sign of movement, the IOC and Japanese government partially shifted on their position that the Games would go ahead as planned.
On Sunday, the IOC said it would hold discussions over the next four weeks that would include an option of putting back the July 24 start date or even moving the Games by a year or more.
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