Clothes make the man – even at the Olympics

Sometimes you end up rubbing your eyes, which are often still full of sleep. Am I seeing all this correctly or am I making a fallacy, which would be entirely possible for us at two in the morning.

It actually says “Nippon” on the anorak of Stephane Lambiel, the Swiss Olympic silver medalist in figure skating in Turin 2006. So the lettering for Japan? Yes yes. Unmistakable. Kind of suits him. But wasn't he wearing a jacket that said Latvia a good hour ago? Yes, he had. Out of the clothes, into the clothes. And just be careful not to mix up the good pieces, because that would be extremely embarrassing and might even trigger political earthquakes. So when Shoma Uno, the bronze medalist of these games, is on the ice, then things will be Japanese around Lambiel, because the lively Uno is training with him in Champery and of course doesn't want to be without his coach at the most important competition this year. The situation is similar for Deniss Vasiljevs, who left his native Latvia seven years ago to develop further at Lambiel. That worked well. He came third at the European Championships in Tallin. It was his biggest success to date. And of course he also wanted to have his mentor around him at the Olympic Games.

The Swiss Lukas Britschgi in action at the Olympics. © ANSA / FAZRY ISMAIL

The German coach Michael Huth also has to be flexible. His protégé Lukas Britschgi from Schaffhausen practices with him in Oberstdorf, which is why Huth sat on the infamous Kiss and Cry bench in Beijing in a Swiss anorak. An unusual image that somehow takes some getting used to, which is of course typical of the figure skating scene, in which many athletes compete for countries other than their home countries, although this is only possible if official citizenship can be proven. Azerbaijan, Georgia and Israel are popular candidates for Russian athletes. Training usually continues in the old and actually still current homeland, although it can be noted that the Russian trainers don't allow themselves to be taken over so much in terms of clothing. In order not to cause any trouble at home, they usually wear a simple black jacket. They practice neutrality, so to speak.

In Canada things are more relaxed. The trainers from Montreal, Patrice Lauzon and his wife Marie France Dubreuil, as well as Roman Hagenauer, a Frenchman who works in Montreal, have their hands full to always arrive at the boards on time in the current outfit. Almost all world-class pairs in ice dancing (with the exception of Russia, of course) are looked after by this trio. The competitors therefore see each other on the ice every day. Although it is a profitable business for the trainers, it is also a difficult balancing act, after all, everyone wants to be optimally prepared and looked after in Beijing. There are medal candidates Madison Chock and Evan Bates, as well as Madison Hubbel and Zachary Donohue. Both teams come from the USA. So American anorak. By the way, the fact that both women have the same first name is purely coincidental.

Afterwards the masquerade ball continues lively and it even gets a bit exotic. It's Japan's turn with the couple Misato Komatsubara and Tim Koleto. He is a native American, but by marrying his sweetheart, he is now practically Japanese. Pearl Harbor has long been history. Lambiel briefly borrows the Japanese anorak. And, oh wonder: even a Chinese jacket is now in the possession of the coaching team in Montreal. Shiyue Wang and Xiuyu Liu, like their association, have recognized that one should not see the boundaries too narrowly if one wants to develop further. And there has actually been a huge improvement in the Chinese ice dancing couple since they took what was certainly not an easy step for them to move to the West. And so Patrize Lauzon sits with his protégés in front of the camera after the free program wearing an anorak with Chinese characters. Grassl coach Magri is an exception Brian Orser, who won silver twice as an athlete, has long been flexible. The Canadian mentors Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu and led him to two Olympic gold medals. The third one in a row didn't work out. Hanyu came fourth this time. In the past, Orser was also Spanish (Javier Fernandez) or he quickly became South Korean with Cha Junhwan and American with Jason Brown. Flexibility is required. But somehow, especially in these times, it is almost reassuring how uncomplicated the change of nation is, at least from the outside. Figure skating is incomparably international. The Olympic pair skating champions in Pyeongchang, for example, have taken the hearts of German sports fans by storm. And no one was bothered by the fact that Alyona Savchenko comes from Ukraine and her partner Bruno Massot quickly got German citizenship at short notice, although they were certainly very generous with any language tests. There was a German and a French coach on the boards. United Europe.

But of course it can also be done the classic way. See Daniel Grassl, who finished seventh in his first Olympics, even scoring more points in the free skate than bronze medalist Shoma Uno. The Merano native trains in Neumarkt with Lorenzo Magri. The clod takes both of them to the top of the world, which shows that the traditional path can also be successful. You just have to keep your eyes open. But that applies to everyone, no matter where you are or where you come from.

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Clothes make the man – even at the Olympics

Our columnist, Eurosport commentator, Sigi Heinrich, observes, especially in figure skating, how coaches from different nations slip into ever new identities. Depending on which skater is currently on the ice. Boundaries are easily overcome.

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