The Olympic Games offer thousands of athletes a unique stage. Should the Tokyo Summer Games have to be canceled due to the Corona crisis, the associations are concerned about the perception of their sports.
Berlin (dpa) – German sports associations fear in the event that the summer games in Tokyo are canceled, above all, the loss of the Olympic appeal.
“The hosting of the Games in Tokyo is of enormous importance to us, because the media perception of our Olympic sports is never as great as it is at the Games,” said Alfons Hlzl, President of the German Gymnastics Federation, of the German Press Agency. The increased awareness of the Olympics attracts sponsors and strengthens fan loyalty.
The Judo Association is also concerned about the chance to present itself to a larger audience at the Olympics. “That helps us to win new members – this opportunity would then disappear,” said CEO Frank Doetsch. After successful games, the association always recorded growth in the clubs. “Due to Corona we already have a decline in membership, without the Olympics there would be no way to compensate,” said Doetsch.
The Schtzenbund showed the increasing interest of sponsors and new members most recently after the Olympic silver from archer Lisa Unruh in Rio. “The athletes cannot market themselves as well without the Olympic laurels as they can with a (successful) Olympic appearance,” estimates the DSB.
Athletics general director Idriss Gonschinska also expects a cancellation of the Olympics to have indirect effects that he “cannot currently quantify”. Due to the lack of income from the Olympic marketing, other associations expect a reduction in prize money, lower grants from the world associations and increased starting fees.
Because of the corona pandemic, the Tokyo Games planned for 2020 had been postponed this summer. In Japan, a large majority of citizens recently voted in polls for a renewed postponement or complete rejection.
dpa-infocom, dpa: 210223-99-564098 / 2
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