Indian Olympians on competing amid Covid restrictions in the upcoming Tokyo games

Four Indian Olympians weigh in on how the upcoming Games in Tokyo will be different for competitors, with pandemic restrictions barring any contact between them and fans

Anjali Bhagwat, Shooter, 2000 Sydney Olympics
Olympic Village vibe

Those who are going to the Olympics for the first time will not know the difference, but other athletes will. There’s a difference between the normal competitions and the Olympics. The latter is the ultimate dream of an athlete, because the whole world will be tuning in to see their performance. Living in the Olympic village is also a great experience. The spirit there is different and you tend to feel special. Not sure how it will be now, with the restrictions in place. I think the athletes should be happy that the Olympics are happening in the first place, because if it were to be cancelled completely, it would have been a waste of four years of hard work.

Akhil Kumar, Boxer, 2008 Beijing Olympics
In battle mode

See, a boxer is like a warrior — you’re told to fight, and you enter a battle. When we are in the ring, we don’t even realise that people are watching us. So, it doesn’t matter whether they are there or not, because our vision is eventually towards the podium. Yes, players want praise for motivation. Ghar mein naacha mor kisne dekha? But the focus is on putting up your best performance. No one goes to the Olympics for a holiday, and the boxers this year will just have to understand that the battle is against an unseen opponent.

Anju Bobby George, Long jumper, 2004 Athens Olympics
This is the reality and athletes have to get that

Athletics is the centre stage of every Olympics. There are usually over a lakh spectators who’ll be cheering and we can feel the vibrations outside of the stadium itself. I can’t imagine the Olympics without those many spectators. Athletes are however always performing to improve themselves and their performances for their medals, but nevertheless the essence of the competition will be missing. This is the reality; we have to perform in these circumstances anyway. Athletes are missing out on events and games during their prime. Many athletes from India are going to the Olympics without having competed in other international competitions. But outside India, that’s not the case. When we participate in major championships like the Olympics we need experience and exposure with other athletes, to improve our ranking too. 

Adrian D’Souza, Hockey player, 2004 Athens Olympics
Every sport is different

In a situation like this, I would be really disappointed if I were an athlete from the home country, Japan. I saw at the Olympics how Australia was cheered on by their supporters, which helped them win the gold medal. I agree with Akhil that as a boxer, you can’t be distracted for even one second. But as a goalkeeper in a hockey match, I can hear both the praises and abuses since I am close to the spectators. Tennis players can exult and look at their fans for motivation after a winning shot. Every sport is different. Right now, the Euro 2020 is underway, and you can see the difference when the matches are held in Denmark or Hungary [where full-capacity stadiums are allowed]. For me, the pre-match or post-match interactions between fans and athletes don’t matter that much. What matters is the time on the field.

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