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sports Diabierna 16 Juli 2021
Athletes go it alone in Tokyo as families watch from afar

(AP) - Michael Phelps The youngest athlete on the “I will be home watching
reached for his mother’s U.S. team in Tokyo calls it gymnastics by myself,” she
hand through a chainlink “weird” that her family won’t said. “I just get too nervous.”
fence near the pool. The be in the stands.
19-year-old swimmer had The family of swimmer
just won his first Olympic “They’re usually at all my Chad le Clos is flying to the
medal — gold, of course — meets,” said Katie Grimes, a United States to watch on
at the 2004 Athens Games, 15-year-old swimmer from TV because the competition
and he wanted to share Las Vegas. will air at 3 a.m. in their na-
it with the woman who tive South Africa.
raised him on her own. Katie Hoff was the same age
as Grimes when she was the “It must be terrible to watch
That kind of moment be- youngest member of the me at 3 in the morning,” Le
tween loved ones won’t be U.S. team in Athens. Nerves 2016. No kids allowed this have that outlet.” Clos said. “Then what do
happening at the pandemic- got to her in her first event, time. you do afterwards?”
delayed Tokyo Olympics. and Hoff hyperventilated and The people who raised them, American high jumper Vashti
vomited on the pool deck. comforted them, financed Cunningham will have her Caeleb Dressel, the world’s
No spectators — local or them, and encouraged them coach, Randall Cunningham, dominant male swimmer,
foreign — will be allowed “I hope us older swimmers through injury and defeat who is also her father, on barely gets to see, let alone
at the vast majority of ven- can show them the ropes a will have to be content to hand. But she’ll be missing spend time with his wife and
ues, where athletes will little bit and create that fam- keep up with their athletes the rest of the family. family at major meets.
hang medals around their ily environment,” three-time through calls, texts and vid-
own necks to protect against Olympian Katie Ledecky eo chats, when they’re not “It just feels good to go and “It’s not something I’m de-
spreading the coronavirus. said. “We will make sure we watching the competition on eat with them, for them to pendent on,” he said. “I know
No handshakes or hugs on stay in touch with our fami- various devices. be at the Bible studies with they will be back home and
the podium, either. lies and keep them connected me, just everything, going to you can feel that energy, and
to what we’re doing.” “She said, ‘On TV, I can see the stores,” she said. “But it I can text or FaceTime when-
“I like to feed off of the it better anyway,’” Dutch doesn’t really matter to me if ever I need to.”
crowd,” defending all-around The decision to prohibit swimmer Kira Toussaint said there are fans or not. I’m just
champion gymnast Simone fans was made for health and of her mother, Jolanda de really excited to go out there Nellie Biles and her hus-
Biles said, “so I’m a little bit safety concerns. The Games Rover, a gold medalist swim- and jump. I do wish that band run a gymnastics train-
worried about how I’ll do will be held during a state of mer at the 1984 Olympics. our families could come and ing center in Spring, Texas,
under those circumstances.” emergency in Tokyo, with watch, though.” so she knows about COV-
rising coronavirus infections Building support and cama- ID-19 protocols and restric-
Catching sight of familiar in a country where 16.8% of raderie among athletes who American discus thrower tions. Still, she thinks having
faces during competition the population is fully vacci- usually compete individually Mason Finley is prepared to spectators in the 12,000-seat
can bolster an athlete on a nated. Variant strains of the has taken on new importance hunker down at the athletes venue in Tokyo would have
big stage. It helped Matthew coronavirus are emerging for coaches during the pan- village with his Nintendo worked.
Centrowitz at the U.S. track around the world, too. demic. They’re turning to Switch for endless gaming
trials, where fans were al- veterans to inform and reas- while his pregnant wife and “We could social distance and
lowed. Those reaction shots of excit- sure younger first-timers. two dogs wait at home. not see each other. That’s
ed, shocked or crying family how huge their complex is,
“Seeing my family in the members in the stands? For- “We’re going to have to rely “I’m just going to kind of their venues are,” she said.
crowd and hearing them gave get it. Singing, chanting and on each other a lot more than nest in there and stay enter- “It’s hard for me to under-
me a little sense of comfort, cheering among flag-waving we would have to if our loved tained,” he said. stand that they cannot make
and what I needed to hear fans at the venues? TV pro- ones were able to come to accommodations. Of course,
and see to calm my nerves ducers will have to look else- Tokyo to watch,” said Lind- Some athletes’ families will that’s just me being selfish.
a little bit,” said Centrow- where. Phelps’ son, Boomer, say Mintenko, national team host watch parties back This will be one gymnastics
itz, the defending Olympic who was 3 months old at the director for the American home. Biles’ mother, Nellie, event that I will never forget
1,500-meter champion. time, became an adorable swimmers. “The bond might won’t attend. because I will not be pres-
sight at the Olympic pool in be stronger because we don’t ent.”

Britain women’s soccer team will take a knee at Olympics

(AP) - The British wom- playing host Japan and Can-
en’s soccer team will take ada and Chile.
a knee before kickoff at
the Tokyo Olympics. England’s men took a knee
before all of their games at
The players have been per- the European Champion-
forming the anti-racism ship, even though some fans
stance with their separate and politicians publicly dis-
teams over the last year and agreed with them.
the IOC relaxed its rules this
month to allow Olympic ath- “We will do so with the ut-
letes to make such gestures of most respect for our fellow
protest in the field of play at competitors, officials and the
the Tokyo Games. IOC, with due regard for the
ideals that lie at the heart of
“It is the people that don’t the Olympic movement.”
have a voice that we are Britain has opted for three
standing up for,” said Brit- our platforms to help in any form Britain usually play soc- World Cup semifinals. captains through the tourna-
ain defender Demi Stokes, way we can. cer as separate teams interna- ment to represent the three
who has spoken previously tionally but they are allowed The Olympics start next nations in the squad: Steph
about being racially abused. The decision was made after a to compete at the Olympics, week with Britain opening its Houghton (England), Sophie
“We know we have a big part team meeting before flying to qualifying through England’s group-stage campaign against Ingle (Wales) and Kim Little
to play. It’s important we use Japan. The four nations that run to the 2019 Women’s Chile in Sapporo and then (Scotland).