Quieter Olympics not a hurdle to success

LAUSANNE • An Olympics under the dark cloud of Covid-19 may not be the experience athletes had hoped for but they are still eager to grab their chance to shine, whether there are fans or not.

With the postponed Tokyo Games set to start on July 23, the organisers are still wrestling with the issue of how many spectators they can safely allow in venues.

A decision on whether any foreign visitors will be allowed into the country to see the spectacle is expected before the torch relay begins, without any spectators because of coronavirus restrictions, next Thursday.

American middle-distance runner Craig Engels could have expected to race in front of 68,000 fans in the rebuilt National Stadium in Tokyo if not for the virus.

"It kind of sucks not having friends and family there because any time I've ever imagined finishing my final race at an Olympics, I imagine running up to the stands and hugging my parents," said Engels, 26, who beat Olympic champion Matthew Centrowitz Jr to win the US 1,500m title in 2019.

"I think I'll still be running in 2024 so at least my whole dream of the Olympic experience isn't shot. But it sucks for those athletes who are retiring this year."

One of those is 38-year-old Indian boxer Mary Kom, who is a six-time world champion but whose best Olympic performance was a bronze in London in 2012.

"We are in a situation that is beyond our control, we have to accept the reality," she said. "The empty or full stadium wouldn't affect my bout and my performance though crowds and supporters make it interesting and thrilling.

"To me, the only thing that will be in my mind is to win the game and realise the long-cherished dream. The environment is secondary."

American sprinter Brittany Brown, the 200m silver medallist at the 2019 world championships, said no fans would be "disappointing because this is every four years".

"The Olympics is also a celebration. So knowing that your family and friends can't be there is disheartening," she said. "At the same time it's encouraging because you know that the organisers are taking proper precautions. It's a weird dichotomy - you're happy because they are prioritising safety, but also disappointed because you're like 'Gosh, I really wanted to share this moment'."

Other track and field athletes agree they will miss the crowds.

"It won't be as euphoric, but we'll deal with it," said French world record holder Kevin Mayer, who won decathlon silver in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie, who won the gold medal in London and silver in Rio - where he infamously broke down in tears at what he called the crowd's biased support for eventual gold medallist and home favourite Thiago Braz, said he had learnt to compete without fans.

He said: "It won't have the same flavour but... when you put 10 people on the start line, everyone wants to win, whether there is an audience or not."

Germany's brightest medal hope in swimming, 1,500m freestyle and 10km open water world champion Florian Wellbrock, said he is "definitely in favour" of the Games going ahead, albeit in front of empty seats.

"The fact that athletes can show in races what they have fought and worked for all their lives is and, remains for me, the most important meaning of the Olympic Games," the 23-year-old said.

Some competitors in less popular sports see stadiums half full rather than half empty.

"Most of us don't compete in front of crowds anyway," said Bronwen Knox, an Australian water polo legend who won bronzes at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and in London four years later.

"It's usually just family and a few friends so that won't be any different.

"But that doesn't change the amount of prestige that comes with playing and it doesn't change the love you have for the game."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE