Mark Spitz is up early. It’s 9 a.m. in Los Angeles. The hero of the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich takes time.
The 71-year-old is one of more than 60 Academy members worldwide who have the Awarding of the sports Oscars determine.
Spitz speaks with SPORT1 about a possible win for FC Bayern at the Laureus Awards, about the upcoming ones Tokyo Olympics under the sign of the corona pandemic and about the secret of his success in Munich almost 49 years ago.
SPORT1: Mr Spitz, I hope you and your family are healthy! How are you, how is the situation in dealing with Corona in the USA?
Mark Spitz: My wife and I got our second vaccination Friday a week ago. After that I felt a bit like after a little cold. We’re fine. But we do not behave any differently now than we did before the vaccination. When I go out of the house, I keep wearing a mask and keep my distance from other people. Here in Los Angeles and California, the vaccinations have gotten off to a good start and everything is going very well. I hope that other people can now also be vaccinated quickly.
SPORT1: The Olympic Games in Tokyo are due in a good four months. Do you think it is right or irresponsible that the Olympics should take place?
Spitz: There is no easy answer to this question. First of all, I believe that almost all athletes want to take part in the Olympics. This wish should be taken seriously. The solution could be an organization modeled on the NBA. There last season ended in a bubble in Disneyworld.
Mark Spitz: That could be a solution for the Tokyo Olympics
SPORT1: How can that work in Tokyo?
Spitz: My consideration for the swimming competitions – but also for other sports – is the following: Let us omit the preliminary runs and only organize semifinals and finals. In any case, only these runs are of particular interest to the broadcasting television stations. The International Olympic Committee and the Organizing Committee of Tokyo could live with that too. Then we are talking about 16 swimmers in each discipline for eight lanes. Projected, we come to 270 athletes each for women and men. Plus judges, we get around 800 when it comes to 1000 people. They can be accommodated in a large hotel or on a cruise ship in Tokyo Bay.
SPORT1: That means every sport gets its own bubble?
Spitz: Exactly.
SPORT1: What about the Olympic Village?
Spitz: There would be 15,000 athletes together, constantly coming and going, without the necessary distance. In my opinion, the risk is too high.
SPORT1: No preliminary runs would also mean: hardly any opportunities for athletes from smaller nations to take part in the games. Would that still be the Olympic Games, which are in line with their very own values?
Spitz: Of course the Olympics mean a lot of tradition, of course it would be a big compromise. But there is an opportunity to create great competitions. And let’s be honest: the Olympic Games have turned more and more into TV games in the past few decades.
“I’m a huge fan”
SPORT1: Change of subject – are you interested in football?
Spitz: Of course, I even coached a youth team for twelve years.
SPORT1: You can guess why I’m asking you that. FC Bayern has been nominated for a Laureus Award this year. Do you watch Bayern games from time to time – especially since you have a special connection to the city of Munich?
Spitz: On my various visits to Germany, I have even seen a couple of games in the stadium in Munich. Most recently, I watched Bayern’s games at the Club World Cup together with my wife in front of the television.
SPORT1: Bayern have won all six possible titles in one year. Will you also be able to look forward to the Sports Oscar at the awards ceremony in May?
Spitz: I’m a big fan. But of course there is very good competition (The other nominated teams are Liverpool FC, the Mercedes Formula 1 team, the Kansas City Chiefs as Super Bowl winners 2020, NBA winners Los Angeles Lakers and the Argentine national rugby team, editor’s note. ).
SPORT1: In Munich there is the saying “Mia san Mia”, it stands for a kind of winning DNA. What is the secret of this success?
Spitz: As a former swimmer, individual and team sports cannot of course be directly compared with one another. There are different players in a team. One is always highly motivated, the other needs a kick in the buttocks, one is a prima donna and needs a caress, the other is bursting with self-confidence. A trainer has to moderate all of these characters so that in the end the best possible comes out. In the end, there is one thing that distinguishes a team like FC Bayern: They always want to win and are not afraid of losing.
Fear? “You can bet on it”
SPORT1: Were you afraid at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich that you would not live up to the high expectations?
Spitz: You can bet on it!
SPORT1: But you didn’t notice that. In the end there were seven gold medals – with seven world records. You were the most successful Olympian for a long time.
Spitz: I knew how to keep this fear down. To calm down, to concentrate and to reflect on my strengths. I wasn’t much better than my competitors back then. But that’s what distinguishes a world-class athlete – that he performs at his best when it matters. A Tiger Woods, for example, achieved this as a golfer in his greatest days. This also applies to the greatest footballers.
SPORT1: Who in Tokyo has what it takes to make Olympic history?
Spitz: In the swimming competitions it could be a Katie Ledecky. But let us surprise ourselves. The pressure is always greater at the Olympics because the gaps between the games are greater than at the world championships. And this year also has to show who can best cope with the circumstances due to Corona.
SPORT1: Laureus has also been committed to helping disadvantaged children and young people through social sports programs for over 20 years.
Spitz: Exactly. It’s not just about world-class athletes or those who can become one at some point. Above all, we want to help children and young people to feel good. Taking your life into your own hands, setting goals and achieving them. If you can keep kids from slipping into crime in a boxing camp, then that is perhaps much more important than any Olympic gold medal.
These are the nominees for the Laureus Awards 2021 in the main categories:
Team of the year: Argentina’s national rugby team, Bayern Munich, Kansas City Chiefs, Liverpool FC, Los Angeles Lakers, Mercedes
Sportswoman of the year: Anna van der Breggen, Federica Brignone, Brigid Kosgei, Naomi Osaka, Wendie Renard, Breanna Stewart
Sportsman of the year: Joshua Cheptegei, Armand Duplantis, Lewis Hamilton, LeBron James, Robert Lewandowski, Rafael Nadal
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