Against the camp fever at Olympia: “I watch Netflix like no other”

Olympic participant Deborah Schöneborn had already seen “everything you can experience in Sapporo” on a YouTube video. A training colleague had to smile when the Berliner told him about the location of the marathon competitions in Japan: “Then you know what you are missing out on. You will probably only see the hotel and the competition venue.”

How true: Sightseeing falls flat for the athletes at the Summer Games in Tokyo – except for the glances from the shuttle buses. What can you do now so that the ceiling doesn’t fall on your head in the Olympic village between competitions? “The fact is that we have been able to adjust to it for a very long time. It will be different than normal. The Olympic competition is in the foreground anyway,” said slalom canoeist Ricarda Funk. “Maybe this will make it easier for us to find our way into the usual competition routine.”

The elder sets the tone

The German standard-bearer Patrick Hausding is not afraid of boredom either. “I think it will be very relaxed because we have an apartment with individual bedrooms and not a hotel room. Living in a shared apartment for a time is certainly also very funny. The boys are all Mario Kart fans, we will definitely be Playing case, “said the record European diving champion. “Sure there will be a camp fever one day because everyone has to cater to the needs of the others. But I’m the oldest – so I’m in charge anyway.”

Due to the corona rules, the athletes are only allowed to leave their village in Tokyo directly to their competition venues. Like “a prison with a long walk in the yard”, as the rower Marc Weber put it with a laugh – and without complaint. If you want, you can have your hair shaped free of charge at the hairdresser, stop by the large Olympic rings by the water for an obligatory photo or stock up on souvenirs in a shop.

The good old board games are popular in Team D – in a small group. Of course, the World Wide Web offers endless opportunities for entertainment – and sometimes the two combine. “You can play chess with the Internet and iPad, so I won’t get bored,” said climber Jan Hojer: “We also have a yoga mat with us and plenty of time to work on our mobility.”

Food connects

At the tennis aces around Alexander Zverev, there is often skat in the evenings. “We always play a lot of cards, every trick is fought for,” said saber fencer Max Hartung. According to Amelie Stoll, the judokas also love this variety. In the rooms there was also a lot of conversation and “sharing of worries and fears”. And: “We are all very enthusiastic about food and that’s where we have a great passion that we can share together.”

Breakfast and all other meals are available in the canteen, which is open 24 hours a day. Usually the heart of the Olympic village with encounters between superstars and niche sports sympathizers, this should not be the case for fear of corona infections this year. “It has become less of a meeting place and more just for eating and walking again,” said Ruderer Weber. The discs on the tables not only prevent droplets from spreading, they also prevent communication.

So many flee into the film world. “Fortunately, I’m a Netflix expert. I watch Netflix like no other,” said walker Christopher Linke and also has a tip for an athlete documentary: “The last dance” by basketball icon Michael Jordan. But many Olympic participants cannot and want to kill time. “I will take some good books and my university documents with me, delve into reading and then the time will pass quickly,” said long jump world champion Malaika Mihambo, who, like many, studies (environmental sciences). Walker and law student Leo Köpp wants to “prepare for the exam”.

Despite all the distraction, 400-meter runner Karolina Pahlitzsch recommends the most important thing: “Just relax!” Javelin thrower and chess fan Julian Weber also sees it this way: “I will also relax, do a little yoga, meditate – all of these things to get the perfect focus on the competition.”