Relief for P.E.I. athletes as COVID-19 delays 2020 Tokyo Olympics

After years of preparation, athletes around the world are coming to grips with the announcement that the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games will be delayed by a year.

The announcement comes as a relief for many Canadian athletes after the country's Olympic and Paralympic committees announced they wouldn't be sending athletes to compete at the Tokyo Games — originally set to begin July 24 — if they proceeded as scheduled.

"I'm so glad IOC decided to do that," said Amy Kneebone Burk, a three-time Paralympian on Canada's goalball team, after the decision was made Tuesday morning.

"Not only was it going to be tough for Canadian athletes if the Olympics did go ahead, I think just for the health and well-being of everyone around the world, this was just by far the best decision IOC has made."

The postponement ends weeks of speculation that the games would not go ahead as scheduled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

CBC's Island Morning spoke to Kneebone Burk and Olympic wrestling hopeful Ligrit Sadiku on Tuesday, just hours before Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the delay of the games.

Sadiku is from Summerside and Kneebone Burk is from Charlottetown and now lives in Ottawa.

"It was a bit of a pill to swallow, but I mean I totally support the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic committee for their decision," said Kneebone Burk.

Her team had officially qualified and would have been announced in May after the Canadian Championships, which have also been postponed due to the pandemic.

Pushing the IOC

Sadiku had also previously qualified for Team Canada, but still had to place in the top two at a qualifying tournament, also postponed because of COVID-19. 

"I am proud to stand with a country that stood up to the IOC and gave that decision to not send athletes and maybe pushed the IOC to make the decision," he said.

"It allows athletes like myself who are currently in the process of qualifying for the Olympics peace of mind, to not worry about training during these circumstances and focus on managing the transmission of the virus in our communities.

"It's quite a shocking time in history, in my opinion, but it's got to be done."

In their message to the IOC, both Canada's Olympic and Paralympic committees called for the Tokyo Games to be pushed by a full year to 2021.

"It's very hard to train in these circumstances," said Sadiku, who is preparing for his first Olympics.

"Especially in my sport, which involves a lot of contact. We can't get a team together and wrestle. We have to kind of train our own."

Sadiku may have also had the opportunity to wrestle for Kosovo if the Olympics had proceeded without Canadian representation, but he said he thought he'd stick with Canada in whatever they decided.

"Canada made a very smart move and I don't think the IOC wants to lose such a huge country that's going to be participating," said Kneebone Burk. 

"We were the first people that stepped up."

The Japanese prime minister said he has agreement from IOC president Thomas Bach about postponing the games.

More from CBC P.E.I.