Ottawa, ON – Wheelchair Rugby Canada (WRC) is supportive of the decision taken by the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) to inform the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) that a Canadian team will be unable to participate at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympics if the event is to be held within this calendar year.

WRC agrees that this decision is necessary to safeguard the health and safety of our Canadian athletes, coaches, officials and staff which is always our first priority.

This decision acknowledges that circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 virus have severely restricted the ability of Canadian athletes to adequately train for optimal performance at the Paralympic Games.

As the national governing body for the sport of wheelchair rugby in the Canada, WRC will continue to be in close communication with our stakeholders and partners regarding developments related to the Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympics.

Information regarding Wheelchair Rugby Canada’s COVID-19 Response Plan can be found here.

Statement by the Canadian Paralympic Committee

TORONTO/OTTAWA (March 22, 2020) – The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC), backed by their Athletes’ Commissions, National Sports Organizations and the Government of Canada, have made the difficult decision to not send Canadian teams to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2020.  

The COC and CPC urgently call on the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to postpone the Games for one year and we offer them our full support in helping navigate all the complexities that rescheduling the Games will bring. While we recognize the inherent complexities around a postponement, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the world community. 

This is not solely about athlete health – it is about public health. With COVID-19 and the associated risks, it is not safe for our athletes, and the health and safety of their families and the broader Canadian community for athletes to continue training towards these Games. In fact, it runs counter to the public health advice which we urge all Canadians to follow.

The COC and CPC reviewed the letter and news release sent Sunday by the IOC. We are thankful to the IOC for its assurance that it will not be cancelling the Tokyo 2020 Games and appreciative that it understands the importance of accelerating its decision-making regarding a possible postponement.

We also applaud the IOC for acknowledging that safeguarding the health and wellness of nations  and containing the virus must be our paramount concern. We are in the midst of a global health crisis that is far more significant than sport.

The COC and CPC would like to thank our athletes, partners and the Canadian sport community for their patience and for lending us their voices during these unprecedented times. We remain hopeful that the IOC and IPC will agree with the decision to postpone the Games as a part of our collective responsibility to protect our communities and work to contain the spread of the virus.