Christina Schwanitz took part in the European Indoor Championships in Torun. Photo: Leszek Szymanski / PAP / dpa (Leszek Szymanski / dpa)
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Even the best concept does not protect against corona cases. More and more top athletes are experiencing this on the difficult road to the Olympic Games.
The news that the German team had seven positive tests after returning from the European Indoor Championships in Poland shocked the athletes. “Corona is just a devious disease,” said shot put ace Christina Schwanitz. The big question that everyone is asking themselves with a view to the training camp and Tokyo is: “What if someone carries that into the bubble?”
At the title fights on the first weekend in March in Torun, Schwanitz praised the hygiene measures, among others. “I am not suprised. You can catch that anywhere, even at the entrance to the test center in front of a hall, ”said the bronze medalist. The German Athletics Association (DLV) reported seven corona cases during follow-up checks in Germany among the 48 starters and 19 supervisors – without naming them. According to a report by The Times, there were nine positive tests among the British participants. This caused a “deep concern” among the athletes with a view to the summer games in Tokyo.
As the Polish broadcaster Radiozet reported on its website, nine cases were found among the 35 Dutch athletes. The general director of the organizing committee, Krzysztof Wolszynski, pointed out that a rigorous hygiene concept had been implemented. But it was decided not to place police patrols in front of the hotels to monitor the behavior of the athletes.
In Germany, concerns are growing in view of the massive increase in the number of infections. Above all, athletes fear that an illness before the Olympics could throw them completely out of shape. Cases like that of world-class wrestler Frank Stäbler (“Corona cost me 20 percent of my productivity”) are a warning example to you.
In table tennis, following the two tournaments of the new international series in Qatar at the beginning of March, there have so far been no known corona cases in the German team, but national coach Jörg Roßkopf said at the time: “You almost dread going to the training hall, so crowded everything on each other. “
The German athlete spokesman and fencer Maximilian Hartung recently had similar experiences at the World Cup in Budapest. “I believe that you can organize sporting events, but that there is room for improvement. You can do international competitions quite safely. In Budapest, however, there was a record number of participants. It was too full, ”said Hartung of the“ Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung ”. On Thursday, the German Fencing Association reported four positive corona tests after returning to Germany.
The 31-year-old Hartung does not believe that he will be vaccinated before the Olympic Games. “Astrazeneca’s reduced delivery forecast and the temporary vaccination ban are bad news.” Nevertheless, the chairman of the Athletes Germany interest group suggested that “when it comes to prioritizing athletes’ turn to speak. Ultimately, it is a question of whether Germany wants to send a team safely to the Olympic Games in Tokyo during the pandemic or whether the decision about participation and the risk lies with us athletes. “
The handball Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga are also increasingly affected by Corona. It is a little easier and less susceptible to do winter sports in the open air, even if there are always positive cases.
Before the World Cup finals in Sweden this weekend, around 14,300 tests were carried out among the biathletes since the end of November, with 54 positive cases that required quarantine. Sometimes, however, entire delegations were isolated and could not take part in races. “We and the athletes have the feeling that it is working well,” said the German team doctor Jan Wüstenfeld of the German press agency. For the figure skaters, the World Cup in Stockholm, which begins on Monday, will be a practical test.
Since September 2020, according to the IOC, 270 sports
Major events have been held around the world with around 30,000 athletes. “Not a single one of these events has become the starting point for the spread of the virus,” said President Thomas Bach at the IOC session last week. “So we have conclusive evidence that larger international sporting events can be organized safely.”
Opening significantly improve the situation with the vaccinations of the participants.
Meanwhile, Japan’s government will lift the corona emergency for the Olympic city as planned on Sunday, despite major concerns about a renewed increase in the number of infections. The opposition criticized the government’s decision as premature.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210318-99-873293 / 5 (dpa)
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