Tuesday, May 25, 2021
“Never cooped up like this”
Caught in the Olympics
Some are happy that things are about to start, others are far more skeptical of the sporting high point of the year: when the Olympic Games begin on July 23, nothing will be the same. The athletes have to make great sacrifices in order to take part. The German head of the mission nevertheless spreads optimism.
Germany’s Chef de Mission can understand the concerns of the Japanese about the approaching Olympic Games in Tokyo during the corona pandemic. The games are “organized in such a way that one wants to create framework conditions with which these games can be played with a good sense of responsibility,” assured Dirk Schimmelpfennig in an interview with Deutschlandfunk.
“It will be a great challenge for everyone involved to adjust to it,” emphasized the 59 year old. Because meetings with other athletes should be avoided, the course of the competitions is strict, as are the hygiene measures. Every athlete must leave no later than 48 hours after their own competition, according to the playbook of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
At the diving qualification competitions, the German Patrick Hausding experienced a foretaste of the isolated Tokyo: “I’ve never been cooped up like this in my entire life. I lived on the tenth floor. There was no balcony or outside space there, the window in the hotel was a pane that couldn’t be opened, “he told Deutschlandfunk. “We were only allowed to go down to the reception when it was in the direction of the jump hall. And in the hall we were asked to go back in. So you weren’t allowed to spend your time outside or stand still, so that they make sure that nobody really escapes through a gap. ”
According to Schimmelpfennig, the IOC has declared that more than 80 percent of the people in the Olympic Village would be vaccinated. “That is why we already have confidence in this system in this difficult situation,” said the Chef de Mission. For the German team, however, there is still no obligation to vaccinate against the coronavirus – with the exception of the sports medicine staff. “Those who are very closely and very continuously involved with the athletes and who act at these interfaces throughout the entire event, i.e. over several weeks, should not endanger the athletes and coaches. It is therefore very important that those who are vaccinated Participants act, “explained Schimmelpfennig and said:” The games in Tokyo are becoming increasingly tangible. “
But Tokyo prefecture is still in a state of emergency, the clinics in Japan are overloaded, and the Tokyo Medical Association has spoken out in favor of canceling the games. The majority of the population is against the major event. Despite all doubts: It should start on July 23rd and last until August 8th.
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