After the postponement of the Olympic Games in Toki, athletes and officials from the district react with regret and understanding.
District - For Maximilian Ulbrich it is "a blatant decision", for Walter von Schorlemer "definitely right" and for Sabine Osenberg "very bitter for the athletes". The fact that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) postponed the Tokyo Summer Games by one year to 2021 in view of the corona pandemic is also making waves among athletes, officials and coaches from the Weilheim-Schongau district. After all, there has never been such a decision in the 124-year history of the Summer Games. There were only various cancellations between the two world wars.
Olympics: Postponing the games in Tokyo is a logical decision for Siegfried Willberger
It was only logical for Siegfried Willberger that Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe proposed to the IOC to postpone the games and thus end the unworthy time game of the Olympians. "It would have made no sense to enforce something like this by force," said the head of the Peissenberger Boxer department. The 83-year-old was already able to study the omens that the next few months would have been under at the Olympic qualification for boxers in London, which was canceled after three days.
Olympia: Wolfgang Reuthner sees organizational problems
Wolfgang Reuthner also sees that the numerous quarantine regulations and travel restrictions imposed by the individual nations have made qualifications for the competitions extremely difficult or even impossible: "How do you organize this?" Asked the head of the fencing department at TSV Weilheim. Not only were the boxers sent home, the key competitions among rowers and sailors were canceled early. Alternative appointments could not be discussed in the face of a global epidemic that currently does not seem to be stopping.
Olympics: For Maximilian Ulbrich, the competitions would not have been fair
"The Olympic Games could not have been organized fairly," Maximilian Ulbrich points out that the conditions for the athletes were not nearly the same. The squad athlete of the German Rifle Association cannot train like his colleagues at the moment because all shooting ranges are closed. Competition hardness cannot be achieved these days either, which means that not only the German shooters would have had a clear disadvantage compared to their competitors from China. Nations such as Canada, Australia and the USA have also recognized this problem and canceled their participation in Tokyo 2020 shortly before the games were scheduled to be published.
Olympia: Sabine Osenberg feels with the athletes for whom a lifelong dream is bursting
There were still other difficulties. Because of the travel restrictions, the doping control officers could not easily access every country. "Such a big competition needs a little lead time," says Sabine Osenberg, for whom it is a basic requirement that all athletes can be checked without gaps. The athletics trainer at TSV Peißenberg feels especially with the athletes, for whom the transfer may mean the end of a lifelong dream.
Olympia: Walter von Schorlemer fears problems with the procurement of sponsors
"It can be a period of life without having achieved a goal." For Walter von Schorlemer it is also clear that there will be losers due to the postponement of the games. The youth manager of the Seeshaupt yacht club expects that some athletes cannot invest another year of intensive preparation for professional or private reasons. When sailing, the question arises of financing an Olympic campaign that goes into the hundreds of thousands. Now new donors would have to be found. "And sponsors are now no easier to get," said von Schorlemer in view of the overall economic situation, which is increasingly tense due to the corona crisis.
"The athletes now have to motivate for another year," said Maximilian Ulbrich. The Wilzhofener Sagittarius also refers to the psychological dilemma in which the athletes find themselves. On the one hand, they were sent back from the summit shortly before the season or career climax, in order to undertake the difficult ascent again the next year.
Olympia: For Florian Willkomm health reasons are decisive
"It is unfortunate for the athletes, but I am fully committed to it for health reasons," says Florian Willkomm. The head of the Weilheim basketball team misses the appearances of the stars from the NBA in Tokyo this year, but at least he can be sure that there will be no festival of viruses without the festival of youth.
