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1/11
The postponement of the Olympic Games to 2021 provides clarity for the time being. But it also brings with it many new problems.
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Sven Thomann | Blicksport
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2/11
The SRF is also badly affected by the shift. Roland Mägerle, Head of SRF Sport and Business Unit Sport SRG, speaks of “drastic consequences”.
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AFP
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3/11
The Olympic Stadium in Tokyo will still be there in 2021. However, many other systems are only temporary. What will it look like with you?
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freshfocus
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10/11
What about already qualified athletes? Elena Quirici doesn’t know yet whether she’ll be there in 2021.
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BASPO
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11/11
Magglingen should serve as preparation for the Swiss Olympians. But the Corona Camp should also take place without the Olympics.
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When exactly should the games take place?
That is still open and it is difficult to fix the data. The European Football Championship will increase from June 11 to July 11, 2021. The core Olympic sport of athletics is planning the World Cup in Eugene (USA) from August 6 to 15. There will also be a swimming World Cup in Japan and many other major events. The difficulty also lies in the fact that it is not so easy to postpone these events until 2022, since summer is already partially occupied with the European Championships in Munich.
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What other problems does the postponement pose?
The sports facilities will be a big problem. Some of the 43 sports facilities are only intended for temporary use. At the moment it is questionable whether all 2021 are still available. The same applies to the Olympic village, which consists of 21 high-rise buildings. Many of the apartments in it have already been sold or at least rented for use after the Olympics. Experts predict that the postponement will cost the IOC and Japan a good CHF 6 billion.
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What does the shift mean for SRF?
The IOC decision had “drastic consequences for SRF,” says Roland Mägerle, Head of SRF Sport and Business Unit Sport SRG, on request. One problem: from July 24 to August 9, several hundred hours of broadcasting were scheduled. These now have to be filled differently, which is associated with great effort. “On the other hand, the postponement has multifaceted financial effects, which cannot yet be estimated,” says Mägerle. “In 2020, there will be no advertising revenue and sponsorship revenue and additional costs will arise, for example for replacing the planned Olympic program or for expenses in connection with the cancellation or rebooking of flights and accommodation.”
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After all, the broadcasting rights for Tokyo 2020 remain with the SRG. So in 2021 the SRF, RTS, RSI and RTR can broadcast the games.
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But preparing for 2021 will be a mammoth task. The consequences for logistics as well as for personnel and program planning are enormous, Mägerle notes. He explains: “The core team of SRG has been preparing the Olympic project for around four years. The plan was to ship four truck containers to Tokyo in May. In addition, dozens of flights and accommodations have to be canceled or rebooked. At the same time, large parts of the major project have to be reopened with a view to the new date of the next year. » In concrete terms, however, these plans could only be pushed ahead when the new date of the event was fixed.
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Who are the winners of the postponement?
Of course, all injured athletes or those just coming back from injuries. Jolanda Neff, for example, will certainly benefit enormously from this. The mountain biker fell badly this winter and was in a life-threatening situation. The spleen died in the 27-year-old and she had to pause for three months. Anything but a perfect preparation for the Olympic season.
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The St. Galler but believes that she would have been ready. «Of course the winter went differently than I imagined. I am just getting started, but I am convinced that I could have made my mold build perfect for the Olympics, »says Neff to BLICK.
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She is therefore sad that the games will be postponed. «I would have been very happy to start this summer. I won the test race last year. The route suits me well. » The cancellation is the absolutely right decision in the current crisis, also because it finally brings clarity for the athletes. Neff is not alone in this opinion. Almost all athletes respond to the shift with a mixture of disappointment and relief. Therefore, all athletes are to some extent winners of this decision.
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What happens to the Corona camps for Swiss athletes in Magglingen and Tenero?
Even without Tokyo as a season highlight for many athletes, the Federal Office of Sports (BaSpo) plans to continue implementing the partly criticized camps. The interest of many athletes is still there. But after the Olympic refusal, it must first be agreed who will be allowed access. So far, of course, a Tokyo ticket was a trump card for training in isolation in Magglingen. That is now a thing of the past, the BaSpo is now defining new guidelines.
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Which athletes make the qualification?
That has to be redesigned. Because it is still unclear whether athletes who would be qualified to the current status may still be there in 2021. Or whether the places are all completely new and the qualification processes are freshly started. For example, the Swiss karate fighter Elena Quirici. She would have been there for the Olympics this July. Now she says: «I would have been qualified from the world association. I do not know whether my place for the Olympics 2021 will remain. Perhaps the relevant ranking will be opened again. »
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What about the torch relay?
The Olympic flame should have started its way through the 47 prefectures of Japan on Thursday. Fukushima Prefecture was planned as the start, which had been destroyed in 2011 by the earthquake, the subsequent tsunami and the nuclear disaster. The torch relay has now been canceled. However, the flame will remain in Japan until 2021. It is intended to symbolically serve as the “light at the end of the tunnel” in the Corona crisis.
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Why did this decision come so surprisingly quickly?
The pressure on all levels became too great. Athletes, officials and national Olympic committees spoke out against the appointment in the summer. Swiss Olympic also asked the IOC for a postponement. Australian and Canada have even announced a boycott.
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Has this ever happened?
No. The Olympic Games have never been postponed or canceled in peacetime. It is also the first time since World War II since this happened. At that time, neither summer nor winter games took place in 1940 and 1944. (sme / md / sid)
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