WINDSOR, ONT. -- After many hard hours of training and four years after the Rio Olympic Games, athletes across the country know the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Committees’ decision to skip the Tokyo Games in 2020 is a tough pill to swallow.

But most athletes who have commented online, including two-time Olympian Melissa Bishop, agree the COC made the right decision.

“I completely stand behind the COC and this decision. This is a smart decision they made,” Bishop said Monday, adding there was initial disappointment before coming to that conclusion. “There’s mixed emotions. My first emotion was tearful and I was sad, really because we work so hard as athletes for the Olympics. That is the epitome of our careers. The Olympics is what we work for for so long.”

Bishop competed in the women’s 800 metre-race at the London Olympics in 2012 and the Rio Olympics in 2016. She finished fourth in Rio with a Canadian record time of 1:57.02.

Since then, her and her husband Osi have welcomed their daughter Corrine into the world. Bishop says since then, training has been going well and “it felt like Tokyo was going to be our spot.”

“I feel very strong right now and I feel that I am very much on par with where I was prior to pregnancy and I feel like one more year is only going to help me,” she said.

But Bishop and other Canadian athletes recognize the COC decision was made to protect not only the health of athletes, but also public health.

“There is so much more going on in this world right now, so much more that is bigger than sports and bigger than the Olympics,” Bishop said. “That has to be first and foremost. The most important thing is the health of everybody. This is humanity, our entire humanity is based on this decision.”

Bishop is hopeful the International Olympic Committee will promptly follow suit and postpone the Games until 2021.

“I think if enough countries can come together as one and make this decision, than the IOC, it’s an easy decision for them,” Bishop added.

The two-time Olympian hopes the IOC postpones the Games until it’s safe to host a fully participated event with all member countries.

“It’s a dream come true to run in the Olympics once, twice, and hopefully three times, said Bishop. “That would be incredible.”