Canada pulls team at last minute from 2020 World Half Champs

You're joking right?

Athletics Canada is a government funded federation that, by organizing and sending a team anywhere, is responsible for those athletes. I'm assuming there would be massive repercussions if someone got sick with Covid.

Also, you can't let athletes decided for themselves when Athletics Canada is funding the trip.

too bad for the athletes

Can somebody tell me why it would be so devastating if an athlete caught covid. They would recover in 3 days, that's if they would have any symptoms at all. If anybody would have a strong immune system, wouldn't that be an athlete?

The press release mentions "staff, coaches, and volunteers," so it is not just about the athletes. I'm guessing Athletics Canada wanted to do it 100% right (with the coaches, trainers, support staff, etc.) or not do it at all, rather than a kind of weird halfway trip with some athletes, maybe a coach, maybe other staff but maybe not. Also, Gdynia, Poland isn't exactly known for its health care infrastructure, so if a coach did get seriously ill it could become a major problem.

rojo wrote:

https://athleticsillustrated.com/athletics-canada-withdraws-team-from-2020-world-athletics-half-marathon-championships/

Yes I know Covid is spiking right now but couldn't they have left this decision up to the athletes?

I know it's not zero risk but couldn't they just give the athletes k95 masks and a bottle of hand sanitizer and tell them not to go out once they got to their hotel unless it was to eat or run?

You’re not Canadian, why do you care?

artojas wrote:

Can somebody tell me why it would be so devastating if an athlete caught covid. They would recover in 3 days, that's if they would have any symptoms at all. If anybody would have a strong immune system, wouldn't that be an athlete?

artojas, as cfg mentions above, it's not just about the athletes - it's about controlling the spread of the virus to all people. And this principle. other than a determined vaccine, is all we have in the way of combatting it. Call it "social responsibility".

They probably have a Covid working group like USATF with medical experts. Leave it up to them, not the athletes (or Letsrun), to decide what’s best.

It's tough to believe this post is still up - it's that thoughtless.

Covid cases/million citizens are ~40x what they are in Canada

Covid deaths/million citizens are ~20x what they are in Canada

The major reason Canadians, including athletes, can't/won't travel travel right now is because the Covid response in the USA is one of the saddest things I've seen a leader do to the people they're supposed to be looking out for.

No coffee yet. The above should read:

Covid cases/million citizens in the States are ~40x what they are in Canada

Covid deaths/million citizens in the States are ~20x what they are in Canada

artojas wrote:

Can somebody tell me why it would be so devastating if an athlete caught covid. They would recover in 3 days, that's if they would have any symptoms at all. If anybody would have a strong immune system, wouldn't that be an athlete?

There were some Olympic rowers who caught it and they had a pretty tough time

artojas wrote:

Can somebody tell me why it would be so devastating if an athlete caught covid. They would recover in 3 days, that's if they would have any symptoms at all. If anybody would have a strong immune system, wouldn't that be an athlete?

you do realize it's contagious right?

Canadiangov't wrote:

You're joking right?

Athletics Canada is a government funded federation that, by organizing and sending a team anywhere, is responsible for those athletes. I'm assuming there would be massive repercussions if someone got sick with Covid.

Also, you can't let athletes decided for themselves when Athletics Canada is funding the trip.

Massive repercussions if a healthy 25 year old gets sick and then is totally healthy 7 days later?

The situation in Poland is rapidly deteriorating. Canada is fighting a fall outbreak. It is just a bad move politically to send a bunch of runners and coaches into a COVID hotspot and hope that they don't come home infected while telling everyone back home the border with the US is closed.

Precious Roy wrote:

The situation in Poland is rapidly deteriorating. Canada is fighting a fall outbreak. It is just a bad move politically to send a bunch of runners and coaches into a COVID hotspot and hope that they don't come home infected while telling everyone back home the border with the US is closed.

Go away, you fear monger.

COVID in Poland is exploding (exponentially) and the meet hotel is not even a bubble (open lobby, outsiders allowed in) - your comments Rojo are very off base for a National Sport Organization who is responsible for the health of the athletes.

And if you think COVID doesn't impact athletes, see US olympic rowers getting slammed:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/24/sports/olympics/coronavirus-us-rowing-olympics.html

"“The narrative that has been going around in some places is that you won’t get the virus if you’re young and strong, or if you get it, it won’t be bad, but we’re perfect examples of how that is totally not true,” Regan said. She added: “Look what the virus still did to us. It knocked us down pretty hard.”

"The cases were categorized as mild, though some athletes dealt with complications for as many as 40 days, according to Wenger. "

"Regan, 32, said it took her a month to feel back to normal after she fell ill. More than three months later, she is still trying to get back into competitive shape, she said. That level of fitness was extremely high: Regan is a four-time world champion in her ninth year on the national team.

“I’ve never struggled like that before,” she said."

"For more than a week, Chase was sidelined in her host family’s house, barely able to even leave her bedroom. She said she couldn’t remember the last time she went eight days without working out. The team usually trains for four to seven hours a day, including two or three separate sessions.

“One day I tried to go for a walk and I made it maybe 30 seconds out the door before turning around,” she said. “I just couldn’t do it. The sun hurt my eyes so much that I couldn’t take it.”"

“I told them that the people that stay uninfected and get four-to-five training blocks in before Tokyo are the ones who will walk away with the medals,” Wenger said. “So that’s one big reason for them to take precautions extremely seriously, and they do.”

again ROJO makes a big deal about the right choice...thank god you're not an organizational leader. Canada was ready to go until the Nth hour, when COVID blew up in Poland, and the hotel (and journey from the main airports) was not even close to a bubble (not close). Good luck World Athletics...

Rojo,

Why do you suggest the Canadian team would wear a Chinese mask?

GlobalView1 wrote:

artojas wrote:

Can somebody tell me why it would be so devastating if an athlete caught covid. They would recover in 3 days, that's if they would have any symptoms at all. If anybody would have a strong immune system, wouldn't that be an athlete?

artojas, as cfg mentions above, it's not just about the athletes - it's about controlling the spread of the virus to all people. And this principle. other than a determined vaccine, is all we have in the way of combatting it. Call it "social responsibility".

No, call it you being gulled and manipulated like a puppet into falling for the biggest overreaction in human history.

Mario Nette wrote:

GlobalView1 wrote:

artojas, as cfg mentions above, it's not just about the athletes - it's about controlling the spread of the virus to all people. And this principle. other than a determined vaccine, is all we have in the way of combatting it. Call it "social responsibility".

No, call it you being gulled and manipulated like a puppet into falling for the biggest overreaction in human history.

Yeah. Another clown with no real comprehension of science chimes in with his little morsel of ignorance.