Canadian swimming team cancels pre-Olympic training camp in Japan - report

The Canadian swimming team cancelled its pre-Olympic training plan in Japan ahead of the Tokyo Games over concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

Swimmers in action at the Olympics Aquatics Test Event in Tokyo, on May 1, 2021. - REUTERS

The Canadian swimming team cancelled its 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.

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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.