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Confined to Italy, volleyball player Jenia Grebennikov believes the Olympics should be postponed

2020-03-20T15:58:47.185Z


For a dozen days in strict confinement in Trento, the libero of the French team has confided for Le Figaro on his daily life and on the future Olympic Games in Tokyo.


Jenia, Earvin Ngapeth revealed his positive coronavirus case Thursday evening. Have you heard from him?
Jenia Grebennikov: He wrote to warn us that he had been infected with the coronavirus but that today he was better and that there was nothing to worry about. He is confined to hospital in Russia but I don't know where exactly. We already knew that nobody was safe, but that only confirms it a little more. Unfortunately, I am in a good position to find out since I live in Italy.

READ ALSO: Coronavirus: Earvin Ngapeth, the star of French volleyball hospitalized

As far as you are concerned, you are living in a very strict confinement situation on the side of Trento (northern Italy), where your club is located…
Yes, it's my 11th day of confinement (interview carried out on Friday). I have to stay at home, I can just go shopping or go to the pharmacy or to the doctor if I have a prescription. Here, it is out of the question to have your little certificate to go for a jog or your little walk. It is a strict confinement but it is the only way to fight effectively against this epidemic and to allow hospitals to work in good conditions. There are so many people who have been affected in Italy that it has become a bit of an apocalypse. Everyone is very careful now, respecting the rules and waiting for the positive effects of this total containment to be felt. According to the news I have heard, there should be a peak on March 25 and after this peak the numbers should start to drop. Normally, there is confinement until April 3, but I think it will probably be extended for the benefit of everyone. Afterwards, what is worrying is that the peak will also arrive in France and that I am afraid that it will turn out worse…

"I didn't want to take the risk of infecting my loved ones or bringing this virus to the place where my family lives."

Does this total confinement still allow you to train a little at home?
No, it's a full stop. I'm just going to do some stretches and abs, but that's just the bare minimum for a top athlete. I pay particular attention to my diet, being careful not to eat more knowing that I am not physically active. But I can't do anything more because I don't have a house with a 200m² garden. I am in an apartment, lucky enough to have a balcony allowing me to enjoy the early afternoon sun, but that's it. I have no weight or machine to work. After all, honestly, it's not the most important sport right now. What matters is health. My frustration as an athlete not being able to go to the gym and play doesn't matter. I don't think about it any more than that. I just hope that the championship will resume quickly, maybe in a month and a half if everything goes in the right direction.

Have you considered returning to France during this confinement?
Yes, we discussed it several times with my wife. But it is no longer useful today, this decision should have been made two weeks ago. Except that at the time, we couldn't know what was going to be next and I couldn't imagine breaking my contract to return to France. In addition, in the region where I am, we are fortunate that there are not many cases and that the situation is under control, especially in comparison to other regions in Italy. And then I didn't want to take the risk of infecting my loved ones or bringing this virus into the place where my family lives. Here, as I said, we are reaching the peak of contamination and there is a point when it will go down. With my wife, we are not going to impose two very strict quarantines in a row. And my club doesn't allow me to leave either. It is for all these reasons that we made the choice to stay here.

"The Games seem so far away from what's going on."

You say that you hope that the Italian championship will resume its rights in a month and a half. For your coach, Laurent Tillie, however, you would have to make a choice between finishing the club season or playing the Olympic Games ...
(He cuts) For me, I think it is impossible to keep the Games on schedule (July 24 to August 9). There are too many qualifying tournaments to organize. On a contractual level in addition, if Italy decides to finish its championship, I must remain at the disposal of my club until June 30. I do what I am told ... Obviously, the IOC and the Federations or the Leagues can agree among themselves to maintain the Games this summer but there are so many athletes who have not yet qualified that it seems to me inconceivable. We already have our ticket, which is a chance, but I'm thinking of French handball players, will they know when they are qualified? End of June ? Beginning of July ? The country has just been closed and it seems impossible to me to replay it for at least two and a half or three months.

So you are campaigning for a postponement of the Games by two or three months ...
I don't know because afterwards there are many other factors that come into play. Should we organize them in December for example and cut the season in half? Afterwards, there is also the risk of making the Games too early and of restarting the virus. Like that, you could say that we are shifting the Olympics to the end of September for example, but imagine that this will revive the pandemic ... There will be the whole world at the Games. It is such a huge gathering, between the thousands of athletes, fans, the media ... In the middle, it is enough that there is one or two infected people and it can turn into disaster. It would be a danger to everyone.

Does this mean that you have already mourned these Games?
No, I did not grieve. In fact, I don't even think about it. The Games seem so far away from what is going on. Let us first respect the rules to be, in quotes, saved. We must first think of people's health. After that, the Games will not be canceled completely I think. They will take place at another time, that's all. When and how ? We will see. Let’s move on to this health crisis first, that’s all that matters.

Read also

  • Laurent Tillie and the Ngapeth case: "Young or not, this virus is no exception"

Source: lefigaro

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