Nicholas On Canada Pulling Out Of Olympics: “It Comes Down To The Health Of Humanity”
Breanne Nicholas carries the ball for Team Canada.
Although the world now understands the necessity of such decisions, for many, including the athletes who have been training for years for these Games, the decision is still heartbreaking.
“Officially reading about Canada not attending Tokyo 2020 was a punch in the gut for sure,” said Blenheim’s Breanne Nicholas, who had played a key role in helping Canada’s Rugby 7s team qualify for the 2020 Olympics.
“We as individuals and a team were preparing for news like this to potentially occur, considering we’ve had a couple World Series tournaments already cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns. Plus with regards to how everyday life is going for everyone here in Canada, and the world, this news was something that we knew could be said. But,even with preparing for that potential news, you really aren’t ready for it when you hear it,” she said.
Taking a top 4 spot in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was a journey in itself, but Nicholas understands the importance of the decision for humanity, and the global population.
“As hard as it is to stomach, it comes down to the health of humanity, so the decision is totally understandable,” said the Western University and Kent Havoc alumni.
“The unknowns of how things will be moving forward is unsettling. So many what ifs and possibilities. It is so hard to believe this is our reality right now, and I, along with with so many people, have so many mixed emotions about the whole situation.”
With the Olympics out of the question for Canada, and likely to be postponed as a whole, Nicholas wants her supporters back home, and across Canada to know, that this is not the end of her rugby career.
“I will be continuing to train, and I am eager for when the time comes that we can practice and play together as a team again. This is not the end of my rugby career.”