Sigi's tips: Fearful start to winter sports

Sigi Heinrich

Of course, coffee itself does not have a calming effect. The opposite is actually the case, which is why, as a young student, we used Turkish potion to keep ourselves awake at night before the exams. In the meantime, despite the capsule craze and espresso machines for home use, good old filter coffee has found its way back into our world. It's wonderful when the hot water slowly drips into the filter bag. This procedure exudes calm. And fortunately there are still coffee houses. Everywhere, not just in Vienna, where of course the “Little Brown” is served not only with nonchalance and seriousness at the same time, but also with a glass of water from the tap. And actually it's more than that. It's a ceremony. Coffee connects. Especially in the “Cafe”. People like to meet there in the afternoon for a chat. A piece of cake, preferably with cream, and the world suddenly looks pink, although that's not so easy at the moment in a time when the world mainly consists of bright red zones. Corona. In the past, before Corona, if you as a journalist wanted to meet athletes in winter sports outside of their field of sporting activity, you simply had to go to small, hidden cafes in the respective towns. You could meet the world class assembled there in an informal and very relaxed manner. I fondly remember a moment in Joensuu (Finland) where I first saw the many rumors about the liaison between Ole-Einar Björndalen and Daria Domratscheva confirmed. They sat holding hands in the hippest cafe in town after their competitions in Kontiolahti. As is my style, I just acknowledged it with a smile at the time and didn't say anything, but waited until both of them made their love public. Free start all over Europe Such encounters are currently no longer possible. Coffee houses are closed. Everywhere. The start of the winter sports season with freestyle, ski jumping, slalom and bobsledding is all about instant coffee. The bobsleigh and skeleton elite meet in Latvia. There have already been the first corona cases, but - and this is hardly comprehensible - they are not made public. Canada, China, the USA or South Korea are not at the start anyway. A total lockdown was imposed in Austria. The freestylers have to show their tricks out of their bubble in Stubai. The ski jumpers are guests in Wisla in Poland. The number of infections there is currently increasing dramatically. There is a lack of oxygen cylinders and protective clothing. The hospitals have reached their capacity. Some regions are asking their neighbor Germany for support, while the Polish government is currently rejecting such a request, probably because they are stubbornly on course to reject it anyway. Uncompromising Finns The slalome elite meets in Levi, Finland. However, the Swedish women, some of whom are world class, are not allowed to take part. A coach of the team tested positive for Corona. For the Finnish authorities the case is clear. The entire team was sent into quarantine for ten days. This should be a warning to the biathletes starting their World Cup season in Kontiolahti next weekend. There is not much, or actually no, scope in Finland. Not like in football, where, as we remember, the health department in Leipzig allowed the match between Germany and Ukraine to take place on an empty stage last Tuesday, even though five Ukrainians had tested positive for Corona. In such a case, the ball would not have rolled a millimeter in Finland and Ukraine would have been put into quarantine. Results are secondary The fear is spreading. Will at least all planned competitions be able to take place? Will we be able to make ends meet in a healthy way? Suddenly results no longer seem to be a priority. The focus is on the noble and important asset of physical integrity, especially for top athletes. Everyone, really every actor in this very fragile cosmos, has the evil spirit of Covid-19 on their minds. A positive test can ruin the entire season and potentially drag the entire team down into the depths of the inaction that follows. The closed coffee houses are a clear warning that this season is on shaky ground for everyone and is only on borrowed time.

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Sigi's tips: Fearful start to winter sports

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