The special Olympic experience

There was dancing again and once again light shows were conjured up in the evening sky of Tokyo. Then they came to an end, the most unusual Olympic Games of all time.

First they were postponed for a year and then no spectators were allowed into the sports facilities. The fact that there were no ghost games was due to the active players and coaches who had the time. They took a few seats and tried with all their might to counteract the emptiness. It looked good on the television because only these small groups were captured by the cameras, so we were led to believe that everything wasn't so bad after all.

The activists had no choice but to ignore this problem and almost everyone succeeded. Ultimately, people were happy that these games were held at all, after the sword of Damocles of a complete cancellation hovered over Tokyo for a long time. And even in the middle of it all, it was suddenly said that termination was also possible. All of these scenarios failed to materialize. Even more emotions than usual For me it was the 14th Olympic Games as a commentator for Eurosport and I will remember them as the games that showed even more emotions than usual. This was undoubtedly due to the circumstances, to the simmering uncertainty, to the fact that suddenly nothing was as obvious as usual. Corona tests were carried out daily. Fear was a constant companion. For all. Negative or positive. The analysis was always followed with mixed feelings, because positive automatically meant the end of all Olympic efforts. Quarantine hotel instead of Olympic stadium. Five years of preparation were then lost in the fog of Covid 19. Everything would have been in vain.

Given this uncertainty, participation was already a success. And those who won medals amid all these problems often didn't know what to do with all the emotions that suddenly erupted. In the white water, in the swimming pool of the Aquatic Center, while fencing or in the sailing area, where winners happily went overboard after a successful race. The celebrations ran like a common thread through Tokyo every day. They were like a bond that formed everyone into a team in an extremely difficult situation.

So does sport have the power to change our world? The answer is simple. No. It only works for the one, small moment in which the competition takes place. But we are happy for that. Suddenly borders are lifted. The competitor becomes a friend, nationality no longer plays a role. When the Italian Gianmarco Tamberi warmly hugged his competitor Essa Mutaz Barshim from Qatar after the competition after they had both been given a gold medal, I thought to myself: It could always be like that and reconciliatory scenes between previously hostile parties played out in my head.

Gianmarco Tamberi shared the gold medal in Beijing. © APA/afp / BEN STANSALL

But unfortunately a film like this doesn't run for long. Reality strikes with tremendous brutality and doesn't give a damn about romantic moods. The curtain quickly closes again. An Iranian wrestler does not want to fight against an Israeli, the Belarusian runner Kristina Timanowskaja turns to the IOC for help because she is afraid of being kidnapped by her own government. She is now safe in Poland on a humanitarian visa. Two of their team's coaches had to leave Tokyo immediately.

The Olympic peace is fragile, it always has been. Nevertheless, the spectacle under the roof of the five rings has immense significance. It is the largest sporting event in the world and the fact that it was held even during these pandemic times is a sign of hope for normality. A normality that you don't get for free and that will only be possible again at some point through collective efforts. The Olympians did their part. Thank you to Japan because these games took place despite intense skepticism from the population. And the Paralympics will also begin on August 24th. So there were hardly any losers, even if it was a financial feat that Tokyo had to manage because not a single ticket could be sold.

At the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, people are still rubbing their hands because with the first second of a TV broadcast they have fulfilled the contracts with the rights holders. And so the 2020 Olympics, which took place in 2021, were, all in all, a success. The bar for the next Summer Games in Paris in three years is therefore high. But that's part of sport.

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The special Olympic experience

The curtain closed on the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo with a very emotional closing ceremony. Our columnist Sigi Heinrich looks back again, lets his mind play and sees a glimmer of hope on the sporting horizon.

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