Hours after Canada announced it would not send athletes to the Olympics should the games be held as scheduled in Tokyo this summer, President Donald Trump tweeted that the U.S. would follow the guidance of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
"We will be guided by the wishes of Prime Minister Abe of Japan, a great friend of the United States and a man who has done a magnificent job on the Olympic Venue, as to attending the Olympic Games in Japan. He will make the proper decision!" Trump tweeted.
On Sunday, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) said in a statement that it would not send athletes to the Olympics should they be held this summer. Instead the COC called for the games to be delayed for a year utnil 2021.
"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," wrote COC in a statement on Sunday. "This is not solely about athlete health – it is about public health."
We will be guided by the wishes of Prime Minister Abe of Japan, a great friend of the United States and a man who has done a magnificent job on the Olympic Venue, as to attending the Olympic Games in Japan. He will make the proper decision!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2020
Preciously, Abe has held that the games would go on as scheduled, beginning July 24 and running through Aug. 9. But in recent days, Abe hinted that he would consider postponing — but not canceling — the games.
The International Olympic Committee said last weekend that it will "step up scenario-planning" in regards to the coronavirus pandemic and will have a decision in the next four weeks as to how the games will be handled.
