The insidethegames.biz Magazine Spring Edition 2021 by Dunsar Media Company Limited

The insidethegames.biz Magazine The world’s leading source of independent news and information about the Olympic Movement.

Spring Edition 2021

Read even more exclusive content online at www.insidethegames.biz

Contents

Published: March 2021 by Dunsar Media Company Limited Editor: Duncan Mackay Magazine Editor: Dan Palmer Managing Director: Sarah Bowron Design: Elliot Willis Willis Design Associates Pictures: Getty Images Staff headshots: Karen Kodish Print: www.csfprint.com Dunsar Media Company Limited 500 Avebury Boulevard Central Milton Keynes, MK9 2BE. Great Britain +44 1908 540675 contact@insidethegames.biz www.insidethegames.biz No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in any retrieval system of any nature without prior written permission of the publisher.

Introduction

Duncan Mackay

Will the Games begin? Mike Rowbottom

Crime and punishment Liam Morgan

Brave new world Michael Pavitt

Once upon a time in Athens... Philip Barker

You can't keep us down Geoff Berkeley

22 26

A bridge too far

The absent tourists

Mike Rowbottom Michael Houston

Work and play

Mike Rowbottom

Data is published in good faith and is the best information possessed by Dunsar Media Company Limited at the stated date of publication. The publisher cannot accept any liability for errors or omissions, however caused. Errors brought to the attention of the publisher and verified to the satisfaction of the publisher will be corrected in future editions, if any. © and Database Right 2021 Dunsar Media Company Limited All rights reserved.

www.facebook.com/insidethegames

@insidethegames

www.insidethegames.biz

STAY

SAFE The Covid-19 outbreak has left the sporting event industry, together with the rest of the world, in lockdown. It is a very challenging time for our industry as a whole and for you as our friends and international partners. We look forward to collaborating with you on the other side. Till then, stay safe!

www.insidethegames.biz

The No.1 Olympic news website in the world

DUNCAN MACKAY EDITOR, INSIDETHEGAMES

he first few weeks of 2021 have come coupled with an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. We have been transported back to February and March of last year, when the coronavirus crisis was just beginning to take hold and the sporting world was busy speculating the viability of Tokyo 2020. Despite International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach confidently declaring the words “cancellation” and “postponement” had not been mentioned at an Executive Board meeting on March 4, the German appeared in front of the world to confirm the delay of the Games just 20 days later. Before the end of the month, new dates in the summer of 2021 had been confirmed for the Olympics and Paralympics and sporting officials began to bend over backwards to welcome the decision. It was a logical move - and the only choice on the table when a killer virus was causing so much devastation in every corner of the planet. In those days, the new Olympic start date of July 23, 2021 seemed like a lifetime away. Many assumed that coronavirus would be defeated by then, and the IOC began to push the narrative of the Games being “the light at the end of the tunnel” as society started to rebuild. Surely we would not be in a similar situation of uncertainty a year on, people thought, but that is exactly the place sport finds itself. Coronavirus has not been defeated and, despite the hope brought by the roll-out of vaccines, hundreds of millions are still living under various restrictions. It remains likely that Tokyo 2020 will go ahead in some form - but the Olympic and Paralympic Games will look and feel very different to what we are used to. There are numerous questions and the biggest one is the same as it was in the days leading up to the postponement of last year’s Games. What is going to happen?

The déjà vu has also been stoked by the confident noises radiating from the IOC and local organisers who are desperate for the Games to take place so the gargantuan amount of money which has been pumped in will not be completely wasted. Those in positions of power have a better chance of being right this time around, but things can change very quickly in the current climate. Who really knows exactly what the road to Tokyo will bring? One key step was the release of “playbooks” which lay out the rules for Tokyo 2020 going ahead in the age of COVID-19. Athletes have been warned against excessive celebrations, singing and chanting will be frowned upon and tourist attractions, restaurants, shops and bars will be strict no-go areas. As I said before - Games that will look and feel very different. For this magazine, chief feature writer Mike Rowbottom has examined the playbooks with a fine-tooth comb to explain what it all means and what the sporting world can expect if the Games go ahead. One nation which will be missing from Tokyo 2020 - at least in name only - is Russia. The end of a huge legal case following the manipulation of the Moscow Laboratory data has resulted in the country’s flag and national anthem being banned from this year’s Games, and their athletes must compete neutrally. However, with the Court of Arbitration for Sport slashing the World Anti-Doping Agency’s initial punishment in half from four years to two, there are many who believe Russia has been let off the hook following the shame of their doping scandal. Concessions allowed by the CAS - most notably allowing Russian athletes to enter the field of play in their national colours have resulted in vocal criticism and claims that champagne corks would have popped in Moscow. Chief senior reporter Liam Morgan assesses the situation with the judgement now final, and asks if the punishment fits the crime. We have already seen the impact of the CAS ruling, with Russia competing under a neutral banner at January’s World Men’s Handball Championship in Egypt.

Sport has bravely continued in these difficult times, presenting organisers of events which are dwarfed in size by Tokyo 2020 with various challenges and obstacles. Senior reporter Michael Pavitt asks how sport has been able to carry on and ensure some sort of normality in the midst of the pandemic. One consequence of the health crisis is that online meetings have become the norm, with the IOC Session planned for Athens in March among those to go virtual. That meeting was supposed to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the first Olympic Games of the modern era in the Greek capital, but historian Philip Barker has instead used these pages to take us back to 1896 and a bygone time. It was not until 1960 that the first Paralympic Games were held in Rome, and since then the Movement has continued to inspire. Paralympians have faced their own hurdles en-route to Tokyo 2020, but they are used to dealing with adversity so it was no surprise when they dealt with the coronavirus crisis head on. Senior reporter Geoff Berkeley looks ahead to the rearranged Paralympics which the world hopes will open on August 24. Some consequences of the pandemic are, sadly, already set in stone. Mike Rowbottom discovers the athletes who have opted to end their careers after finding the delay to Tokyo 2020 to be a bridge too far. Junior reporter Michael Houston explores the impact to the sports tourism industry - a normally lucrative business which has been brought to its knees with flights grounded worldwide. Here at insidethegames we do not know what the future will bring, but we do know our award-winning team of journalists will be providing the best coverage and reporting on the sports stories which matter. I hope you enjoy the magazine.

Duncan Mackay Editor

We hope to see you again soon www.facebook.com/insidethegames

@insidethegames

www.insidethegames.biz

? n i g e b s e m Will the Ga The unprecedented decision to postpone Tokyo 2020 to this year has not brought an end to the uncertainty. With the Games hanging in the balance, Mike Rowbottom debates the question which is gripping world sport – will we be going to Japan this year?

he assertion made earlier this year by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach that there was “no reason whatsoever” to doubt the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Games going ahead as planned begged a large question. In March 2020, with the imminent staging of the Games appearing to have been seriously undermined by the advent of a global pandemic, Mr Bach claimed after a meeting of the IOC Executive Board that neither the word “cancellation” nor the word “postponement” had been mentioned. Fast forward just a short time later and the Olympic Games were postponed until July 23, 2021. Who knows - perhaps the Board members had other more pressing matters to discuss?

www.insidethegames.biz

Whatever was said, discussions are certainly in earnest right now over whether the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics can safely proceed at the second - and according to Mr Bach - final opportunity. There is, we are told, no Plan B. The answer seems clear. Maybe. And then again, maybe not. Naturally enough, there have been voices heard on both sides of the argument. The man who was until recently President of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, Yoshirō Mori, maintained on January 12 that preparations for the Olympics and Paralympics “have to proceed as planned”. On February 2, he underlined his position, saying: “We will hold

The No.1 Olympic news website in the world

MIKE ROWBOTTOM CHIEF FEATURE WRITER, INSIDETHEGAMES

the Olympics, regardless of how the coronavirus [situation] looks.” A few days earlier, Bach had insisted the IOC and Tokyo 2020 were “fully concentrated and committed to the successful and safe delivery” of the Games, adding that suggestions they would not go ahead were “hurting athletes”. A report by British newspaper The Times in the same week had claimed the Japanese Government had privately decided Tokyo 2020 would have to be cancelled because of the coronavirus crisis.

Yoshirō Mori's resignation as Tokyo 2020 President after his sexist comments created another crisis. Photo: Getty Images

The story, based on an unidentified Government source, was swiftly denied by the Japanese Government and the IOC. But it sparked concern among athletes and other officials over the fate of the Games amid the latest surge in COVID-19 cases across the world. “We are not speculating whether the Games are taking place, we are working on how they will take place,” Bach claimed. In the same month, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe told Reuters there was a “cast iron determination” to deliver the Tokyo Olympics, with COVID-19 vaccines and the ability of athletes to train meaning the situation was better than when the Games were postponed last year. “The Government in Japan, the Organising Committee, the International Federations and particularly the athletes are all unified in their determination to try to deliver a Games that is safe and secure,” the Olympic 1500 metres champion in 1980 and 1984, and the head of the London 2012 Games, said. On the other side of things, however, there are also many voices. Shortly before the story in The Times broke, Japanese cabinet minister Taro Kono admitted a decision on holding the Games “could go either way”. Former London 2012 chief executive Sir Keith Mills added his voice to the debate by saying he thought it was “unlikely” the event will be able to go ahead. www.facebook.com/insidethegames

“Looking at the pandemic around the world, in South America, in North America, in Africa and across Europe, it looks unlikely,” Mills told BBC Radio 5 Live. “If I was sitting in the shoes of the Organising Committee in Tokyo, I would be making plans for a cancellation and I’m sure they have plans for a cancellation. I think they will leave it until absolutely the last minute in case the situation improves dramatically, in case the vaccinations roll out faster than we all hope.” The financial impact of the postponement of Tokyo 2020 has already been huge, and the blow following a cancellation would be greater still. In December, Tokyo 2020 revealed details of its revised, version five budget, which reflected the delay to the Games and the subsequent reduction of expenses arising from simplification measures devised by the hosts, the IOC and the International Paralympic Committee. Compared to the version four Organising Committee budget, total expenses had increased by $900 million - including $300 million for the Paralympics - to a total of $6.7 billion. The budget, which already included a significant contribution from the IOC, predicted a revenue increase of $700 million which would help cover the additional expenditure from the postponement of the Games.

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach has remained confident the Games will go ahead. Photo: Getty Images

But if the additional expenditure could not be covered by Tokyo 2020, a further $100 million in extra cash would be met by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Significant impact to the Olympic Movement is also in prospect given the question of TV rights. @insidethegames

Under the terms of its six-year American rights deal covering the Winter and Summer Olympics from 2014 to 2020, NBC was due to pay $1.418 billion for the Tokyo 2020 Games. As my insidethegames colleague David Owen observed: “The TV rights money associated with the Olympic Games is similarly substantial enough to warrant the monumental efforts being made at the moment to enable them to take place. “All the more so since the proceeds, should they materialise, will not disappear into the pockets of hugely well-rewarded professional athletes, but will be channelled into the profusion of bodies that organise international sport.” Also thrown into question by the unprecedented events of last year is the huge matter of insurance. Insurers are facing a $2 billion to $3 billion loss if the Tokyo 2020 Games are cancelled, according to one report. Citing brokers, the report said this would amount to “the largest ever claim in the global event cancellation market”. “The IOC’s cancellation insurance premiums appear to have been rising steeply in recent times,” Owen said. “The body’s financial statements indicate that while it paid $7.56 million for cover relating to Sochi 2014, the equivalent figure for the subsequent Winter Olympics at Pyeongchang in 2018 was $12.79 million. “But such sums are a small fraction of the likely pay-out should a valid claim on an Olympic Games, or other major event, cancellation policy be triggered.” Alli MacLean is a global product leader for live events within the entertainment business at Allianz Global Corporate and Speciality. Asked for an assessment of the size of the market for sports event insurance in terms of the value to insurers of policies written, he said: “There is no global report which accurately states the premium income within the contingency market, but a recent article suggested annual premium income of $500 million per annum.” Carl Baxter, a member of the sports and entertainment team at Miller, a specialist insurance and reinsurance broker operating with Lloyd’s of London and in other international markets, added: “From an event cancellation perspective, COVID-19 cover is not possible.” MacLean was quick to concur. “It is our understanding that no cover is available in the current market for event organisers seeking protection against cancellation of

www.insidethegames.biz

insidethegames.biz working in partnership with

World Taekwondo Olympic Council of Asia World Baseball Softball Confederation International Judo Federation International University Sports Federation Commonwealth Games Federation

Birmingham 2022 World Karate Federation International SAMBO Federation International Mixed Martial Arts Federation Association of National Olympic Committees International Federation of Teqball International Boxing Association

Would you like to Engage Influencers Who Matter? Contact Sarah Bowron, Managing Director sarah.bowron@insidethegames.biz +44 7774 740874 The No.1 Olympic news website in the world 8

www.insidethegames.biz

The No.1 Olympic news website in the world

MIKE ROWBOTTOM CHIEF FEATURE WRITER, INSIDETHEGAMES

Television companies will be monitoring the Tokyo 2020 speculation with great interest. Photo: Getty Images

events due to COVID-19,” he said. However, MacLean did add that, regionally, “Government bodies are engaged with insurers and event organisers to develop a fund or backstop to provide some protection”. Such financial calculations have taken place against rising numbers of fatalities during the second wave of COVID-19. More than 400,000 people worldwide were reported to have died because of COVID-19 in January alone - the pandemic’s highest monthly death toll at that point. As one would expect, Bach has always acknowledged that the health card would trump any other if push came to shove. “Not even the most prominent scientists in this area can predict the health situation in 206 National Olympic Committees for the time of the Olympic and Paralympic Games from late July to September this year,” he said. “This leads naturally, and unfortunately, to many speculations, but all these speculations are hurting the athletes in their preparations. “Our task is to organise Olympic Games, not to cancel Olympic Games. And that is why we will not add fuel to this speculation. “Based on the countermeasures and the experience of other events, it is clearly not irresponsible. “If we did not think the Games could be safe, we would not go for it.” Within a week of this statement on January 27, the IOC and Tokyo 2020 publicised the first of a series of “playbooks” which are being devised to ensure the Olympics and Paralympics can take place safely during the pandemic. These outline areas including testing, quarantine measures and vaccines - with the clear advice that they are a work in progress. Australia’s John Coates, who chairs the Tokyo 2020 Coordination Commission, outlined the expected measures for athletes www.facebook.com/insidethegames

competing at the Games. Participants can expect to be subject to frequent testing, including at the airport and at the Athletes’ Village. Coates said that organisers were striving to ensure the Village was the safest place in Japan. “The playbooks will give instruction on what is expected from them before they go to the Games,” he said. “They must undertake testing, salvia and nose, within 72 hours of travelling to Tokyo. “Like we have introduced in Australia for people coming here, they will be tested on arrival and will be tested, if they continue to be negative, every four days. “They will be limited to the Olympic Village and transport to their venue for competition and training. That’s it, no going downtown.” Similar measures are envisaged for officials and media. Those who test positive could be “isolated in a Government-approved facility”, according to the playbook. Much of the documents detail measures society has grown accustomed to since the coronavirus pandemic hit. This includes wearing a mask - which will be mandatory for officials except for when they are eating or sleeping - and keeping a safe distance from others. At the time of writing it seems unlikely substantial numbers of foreign visitors will be able to arrive to watch the Games. A playbook briefing for media jointly hosted

by the IOC and Tokyo 2020 in February offered reassurance on some points, but raised as many questions as answers. Organisers had no immediate answer to the problem of media being stranded in nonofficial hotels away from Games transport links, when the likely scenario is press will be banned from using public transport. That is the current ruling for athletes, media and officials - “unless given permission”. As vaccination programmes start around the globe, the IOC has encouraged those due to take part in the Games, and particularly athletes, to take advantage of the opportunity. But it has also stressed that no “queue jumping” should occur, whereby athletes take precedence over more vulnerable members of their society and healthcare workers. Amid this mixed messaging, nations such as Israel and Hungary have already pressed directly ahead with vaccinating their potential athletes. In other countries Olympians and Paralympians have insisted they will not consider taking a vaccine ahead of older or ill people. Tokyo 2020 organisers have stressed having a vaccine will not alter the need for those arriving for the Games to follow the still-evolving playbook protocols. Pending further details, the Tokyo 2020 picture remains unclear. Britain’s Olympic diving bronze medallist Daniel

The Olympic Rings continue to shine in Tokyo Bay despite the uncertainty. Photo: Getty Images

@insidethegames

www.insidethegames.biz

Craig Tiley said the Australian Open's measures had gone further than those for Tokyo 2020, and the event is much smaller. Photo: Getty Images

Goodfellow offered a snapshot view from the athletes’ perspective. He said that with an expected 10,500 athletes passing through the Village over 16 days of action, maintaining social distancing would be unworkable. “The great thing about an Olympics is countries coming together,” he said. “You can socialise with so many different people, different sports, different countries, different ethnicities. “I don’t know what the size of the Village in Tokyo is compared to Rio. But there are always people constantly walking round, big groups of people going to events. “It’ll be interesting to see how they do the dining hall. That’s always packed. People will always want to eat lunch between 11am and 1pm and probably always have dinner between 5pm and 8pm. It will be hard to see how they do that.” Bach’s comment about gaining confidence from the “experience of other events” is based on the successful staging of competitions such as the Stanley Cup ice

www.insidethegames.biz

hockey play-offs in Edmonton, Formula One races and international cricket matches. But the recent difficulties experienced by the organisers of the Australian Open tennis tournament have highlighted concerns about the challenges posed by staging an Olympics and Paralympics in the current circumstances. Despite the fact that players and officials arrived on chartered flights and then faced rigorous quarantining and testing protocols, the pandemic forced its way into the equation. A total of 72 players had to quarantine for a fortnight without being able to go out and practice after flying in on planes where positive COVID-19 cases were later identified. On February 12 a more stringent lockdown was imposed after the number of COVID-19 cases linked to a Holiday Inn hotel at Melbourne Airport rose to 13. All 13 cases were confirmed as the more infectious United Kingdom variant and an immediate circuit-breaker was deemed the most effective way of preventing a further outbreak.

A positive case recorded by a tournament hotel worker had earlier forced hundreds into isolation and delayed the event’s draw. Just over 1,000 players arrived in Melbourne for the tournament, less than a tenth of the expected number of Olympic athletes, so any similar turmoil in Tokyo would be on a much larger scale. Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley confirmed he would share his experiences with the IOC but also issued a clear warning to the organisation. “I've seen the playbook for the Olympics, and I've looked at it carefully,” Tiley told Reuters. “And compared to what we've done, we've had a far more rigorous programme than is being proposed at the Olympics. “I love the Olympic Games. I'd like to see it be successful. But with the experience we had, I cannot see it working.” Bach, no doubt, will feel that where there is a will, there is a way. But is there a will - at least in the host country?

The No.1 Olympic news website in the world

MIKE ROWBOTTOM CHIEF FEATURE WRITER, INSIDETHEGAMES

According to a poll conducted in January by NHK, approximately 80 per cent of Japanese people said they thought Tokyo 2020 should be postponed or cancelled. In a blog posted on insidethegames, Yuhei Inoue, a Japanese academic who is currently a reader in sport management at Manchester Metropolitan University, reflected on how the climate of opinion had turned in Japan in the space of a year. “Since the virus outbreak numerous media outlets have reported that the postponement of the Games would cost the host country billions, most of which will be covered by tax money,” he said. “These financial costs, along with intangible costs such as the perceived risks of infection, have led Japanese people to think the costs of hosting Tokyo 2020 would outweigh its economic benefits, with the latter being likely reduced by travel- and event-related restrictions.” Inoue concluded that three initiatives should be taken by Games organisers to restore lost confidence - underlining the importance of the event as a symbol of recovery, increasing engagement with citizens through, for the moment, virtual events and activities, and increasing the sense of trust towards event organisers. Sadly this last aspiration has been heavily dented by the requirement for Mori to resign as Tokyo 2020 President following his dismissive and derogatory comments about women. “My inappropriate remarks caused turmoil,” he admitted. The evidence of a more recent survey by think tank Tokyo Shoko Research, released on February 15, was only minimally comforting to Games organisers. This poll was conducted from February 1 to 8 and covered more than 11,000 firms. It found that 56 per cent of companies felt Tokyo 2020 should be postponed or cancelled. According to the think tank, this was up from 53.6 per cent in the previous survey conducted in August. Only 7.7 per cent of firms believed Tokyo 2020 should take place in its full form this year, down from 22.5 per cent in the previous survey. Another factor is the “political conundrum” facing the Tokyo Games, with Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party under increasing pressure. “A general election is scheduled for this year,” Owen said. www.facebook.com/insidethegames

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has inherited the Tokyo 2020 dilemma after succeeding Shinzō Abe last year. Photo: Getty Images

“Opposition to the Games going ahead as rescheduled remains strong in Japan, with fewer than 15 per cent of those questioned indicating that they thought the event should open as planned on July 23. “In democracies that I am familiar with, you would not expect a governing party facing the imminent prospect of a national plebiscite to stay wedded to a policy

commanding that level of opposition. “Contractual commitments or matters of national honour might prove me wrong, but if these opinion poll numbers do not start to improve markedly - and soon - I would be surprised if support within the Liberal Democratic Party for the notion of pressing ahead with the Games in July and August does not start to waver.”

Opposition to Tokyo 2020 going ahead is increasing in Japan. Photo: Getty Images

@insidethegames

www.insidethegames.biz

Russia’s sanction for manipulating the Moscow Laboratory data was chopped in half by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, leading some to suggest the country has been let off the hook. Liam Morgan reports with the legal wrangling now at an end and enforcement beginning.

onfirmation from the World Anti-Doping Agency that it will not appeal the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision to reduce the sanctions it had imposed on Russia marked the end of perhaps sport’s biggest legal case. The ruling from the three-man CAS panel, which cut in half the period where the sanctions apply from four years to two and significantly watered down WADA’s initial package of punishments after it found Russian authorities had manipulated data from the Moscow Laboratory, is now binding. While both WADA and the Russian Anti-Doping Agency disagree with the verdict - despite the concessions, caveats and cop-outs in the full CAS award suggesting the Russian side should be enjoying a cocktail or two - there can be no more wrangling. The arduous legal process, which some believe has exposed serious flaws in the system, is over.

www.insidethegames.biz

But for the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee and the dozens of International Federations and other bodies whose job it is to implement and enforce the CAS ruling, the work is just beginning. Chief among the sanctions Russia is under until December 16, 2022 is a ban on the country’s flag from the Olympic Games and World Championships and being barred from bidding for, or hosting, major events within that timeframe. Russia must also be stripped of events it has already been awarded. Russian athletes competing at these events must do so as “neutrals”, and it is here where we have already seen the sanctions in effect. At the World Men’s Handball Championship in Egypt in January, Russia competed as the “Russian Handball Federation Team”. The team wore a uniform featuring white, blue and red, but the flag and anthem were absent.

The No.1 Olympic news website in the world

LIAM MORGAN CHIEF SENIOR REPORTER, INSIDETHEGAMES

When Roman Repilov retained his men’s singles title at the Luge World Championships in Germany, he did so without the prestige of having won a gold medal for Russia. Instead, his triumph will be accredited to the “Russian Luge Federation” in the history books. “Neutral” Russians also took part in last month’s World Championships in biathlon and Alpine skiing, will do so at the Nordic World Ski Championships which conclude in March and, of course, will appear at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games - should the event go ahead.

Russia still played in their national colours at January's World Men's Handball Championship. Photo: Getty Images

Russia participated at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang as “Olympic Athletes from Russia”, a compromise which attracted a torrent of entirely merited criticism, but there will be no OAR team if Tokyo 2020 takes place. Instead, they will be allowed to compete under the acronym ROC. “I personally do think it is remarkable the CAS has said Russians should be able to compete in national colours,” British lawyer Jonathan Taylor, who chaired the WADA panel which recommended the initial four-year package of punishments, tells insidethegames. “We were very clear against that and they ruled against us without any reasoning. “I understand when people say it is just Russia rebranded, but I don’t think the Russians see it that way, I really don’t. “When Repilov wins the gold medal, and it’s not the Russian flag, it’s a white one with the luge [federation] logo on it…I don’t care what anyone says, there is impact to that. “Russia, like many countries, believes success on the sporting stage gives pride in their nation and shows how strong they are. “The idea was to say to them that you can’t use sport like that if you are going to undermine sport like that - you have forfeited your place at the top table. “You can’t tell me that does not matter to Vladimir Putin. Clearly, you see the pride he www.facebook.com/insidethegames

takes in these things. I’m not going to accept the argument that the sanctions have done nothing. “It is disappointing the way they have been watered down, but they are definitely not ineffective. I know, and have been told, that the Russian authorities are extremely upset about them. “It is a public denunciation of Putin, and other senior Russian Government officials, in very stark terms.” Mikhail Bukhanov, the acting director general of RUSADA, admits the Russian flag not flying at major events is “hurtful” to Russian sport, but said the fact athletes from the nation can participate is the “main result for us”. “Of course, this is very painful because every country at every competition has their symbols, but at the same time our sports uniform can consist of the colours of the flag,” he told insidethegames. “We consider the principle of collective punishment is not good and fair. It is not right that all the athletes will be banned for years because of this group of people who are guilty of breaking the rules. “Four years was totally unjust. RUSADA never had control of the Russian database and was never involved in the process of transferring this. So there is no connection, and that is why we think even two years is not fair. “Our first reaction was that we were pleased they could take part, but at the same time other parts of the decision are not good for us. But that is the decision of the court.” One of the areas Bukhanov implicitly mentions is a ban on Russian Government officials serving on the Boards or Executive Committees of IFs and other signatories to the WADA Code.

Despite the long-running doping scandal, Russia has managed to maintain, or even extend, its influence in the international sports movement in recent years. There are Russian heads of three Summer Olympic IFs - those governing shooting, fencing and boxing - while the Sports Minister, Oleg Matytsin, leads the International University Sports Federation. With the CAS ruling in place, the rise of Russian officials to high-profile jobs in the Olympic Movement will cease for at least two years, perhaps even longer. The sanctions, after all, do not just cover the here and now; they are likely to have far-reaching effects on Russian sport beyond the period in which they apply. Krasnoyarsk, located in Siberia, had been set to be awarded the 2025 Freestyle, Snowboard and Freeski World Championships until the CAS rendered its decision. Russia, a country so tainted that it is hard to remember a time when it was not involved in a state-sponsored doping scandal, had also hoped to bid for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, but any candidacy has been abruptly halted before it got off the ground. “This is significant for Russia because it uses these events to portray the state and bring glory on the state,” Taylor said. Russia should, if the IFs in question follow the CAS ruling to the letter, also be stripped of World Championships it has previously been granted the right to stage but which are due to be held within the two-year period. This year, Russia’s capital Moscow is scheduled to host the Beach Soccer World Cup and the Sport Climbing World Championships, while World Championships in two Summer Olympic sports - shooting and volleyball - are

WADA panel chairman Jonathan Taylor believes the rolled back restrictions will still have dented the pride of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: Getty Images

@insidethegames

www.insidethegames.biz

The No.1 Olympic news website in the world

LIAM MORGAN CHIEF SENIOR REPORTER, INSIDETHEGAMES

Roman Repilov won gold at the World Luge Championships as a neutral athlete. Photo: Getty Images

set to take place in the country in 2022. It had been due to be three, but United World Wrestling last month moved its 2022 World Championships from Russia to Serbia because of the CAS ruling. UWW has not entirely punished Russia, however, instead awarding the 2023 edition of its flagship event to the scandal-hit country - which falls outside of the sanction period. At the time of writing, neither FIFA, the International Volleyball Federation, the International Federation of Sport Climbing or the International Shooting Sport Federation have indicated they will follow suit and find another host. Of concern among some officials is a line in the WADA Executive Committee decision of December 2019 and repeated in the CAS verdict, which states IFs must strip Russia of major events “unless it is legally or practically impossible to do so” - effectively providing a way out of enforcing the ruling. “WADA is actively communicating with those involved to ensure they comply with this decision,” said Taylor. “Having gone this far, WADA is not going to let them not comply, and it shouldn’t let them. There are plenty of IFs that are ensuring they do comply. “You can say you have differing levels of confidence and, bluntly, I

do question whether everyone in the sports movement has a sufficient degree of commitment to clean sport and anti-doping. I don’t think it is a uniform commitment at all. “You can go up or down based on the facts of the case, but it does mean ultimately that if you were to disregard the consequences, you could face consequences of your own, and this includes exclusion of the sport or the country, depending on if you are an IF or NADO, from the Olympic Games and major events.

“I don’t think it will get that far and I think people will comply, but I am sure you will find there will be some straining at the edges to interpret it one way or another, as favourably [to Russia] as they can.” As the dust continues to settle on sport following the verdict, and its ramifications are analysed with the precision of sample-swapping at the Moscow Laboratory, it is understandable why Taylor and others harbour frustration at the CAS opting to reduce so severely the original sanctions imposed by WADA. The fact the CAS agreed almost entirely with WADA, yet still decided to considerably weaken elements of the original decision from the global watchdog, is a damning indictment of sport’s highest court. It is also difficult to get away from the view the CAS decision is a punishment in name only. Yes, there are consequences, but are they strong enough to ensure we do not get a repeat of this sordid scandal in future? “The CAS agreed with all of our arguments, and rejected tens of those presented by Russia,” Taylor says. “They agreed the consequences

imposed have to be sufficiently strong to deter repetition, to force the Russian authorities to think twice next time, and to maintain public confidence that the system is strong enough to force them to do so. “But then the CAS said it thought the consequences proposed go further than is necessary to do that, and they imposed lesser consequences, which they believe can still achieve the same aims. All I can say to that is I hope they are right. “There is limited reasoning for that and judging by the reaction to the decision, you can question whether they have achieved their aim, certainly of maintaining public confidence in the system. I do think the consequences are not nothing and we see their impact - it’s not good for the headlines, but I can see every day the impact it is having. “What we want is for them [Russia] to decide ‘you know what, we are not going to do this again’. “The question is whether what has been given to them is enough to stop them. “I think it should have been more, so I am concerned it isn’t. I guess we will find out.”

Russia should be stripped of the Beach Soccer World Cup and other major events but the wording of the CAS verdict provides federations with wiggle room. Photo: Getty Images

www.facebook.com/insidethegames

@insidethegames

www.insidethegames.biz

BRAVE NEW WORLD Sport has made a cautious return in the world of coronavirus restrictions, with organisers walking a tightrope to make sure competitions can take place safely. Michael Pavitt reports.

he Australian cricket team have come under fire for their sledging of opposition players in recent years, but Marnus Labuschagne raised a smile with a jovial question during the third Test of their series against India in January. With the Indian openers beginning to frustrate Australia’s bowlers, Labuschagne attempted to break Rohit Sharma’s concentration with a simple question. “What did you do in quarantine?” he asked. The question received no reply from the Indian batsman as he attempted to remain focused on the task at hand, but it provoked laughter from the commentary box and became a viral social media hit. Sharma had missed the first two Tests of the series after flying out late to Australia, following concerns about his fitness due to a hamstring injury. On arrival, the batsman was consigned to a hotel room in Sydney for two weeks as part of a mandatory quarantine window required by the Australian Government under its COVID-19 legislation. It was a fair question from Labuschagne. But, according to Indian press reports, the answer was less entertaining. Sharma had filled his time with a regular indoor workout and watching television.

www.insidethegames.biz

Labuschagne’s simple question, however, reflected the complex arrangements which now need to be in place to ensure sporting events can be held safely. Cricket has been among the most successful sports in bringing back competition while the pandemic continues to impact everyday life, primarily by using bubbles and biosecure venues. West Indies were billed as the first international sports team to travel abroad for a competition during the pandemic when they arrived in England in June for a three-Test series. The team were lauded for agreeing to a mandatory quarantine period on arrival, with only three players opting not to travel. The team were taken directly to venues which were chosen to host matches due to their on-site hotel facilities, with the squad’s stay in England limited solely to these locations. The idea of quarantines and bubbles has quickly become commonly understood in sport, when the notion would have been absurd as recently as just over a year ago. It is surprising to think back to sport’s first steps towards holding competitions during the pandemic. Two of the largest events were the first to return, with bubbles immediately highlighted as a key tool.

The No.1 Olympic news website in the world

MICHAEL PAVITT SENIOR REPORTER, INSIDETHEGAMES

The National Basketball Association opted to resume its suspended season at Walt Disney World's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, at a cost believed to be around the $190 million mark. Twenty-two teams were flown into the complex in July, with quarantine and isolation periods in place in the early stages. From the resumption of competition until the conclusion at the NBA Finals in October, no coronavirus cases were reported from inside the bubble. The NBA’s set-up was later claimed to have saved the league from a loss of more than $1 billion. Some players jokingly referred to the bubble as a “prison sentence”, with organisers giving teams a handbook of rules to follow during their long stays. The success of the bubble saw the NBA allow players to pay for a guest room for family members from the start of September, or for people they were in a long-term relationship with. While the NBA took place solely in Orlando, Tour de France organisers pulled off the impressive feat of staging the annual threeweek Grand Tour across an entire nation. The race, delayed until August and September, appeared doomed before it had begun as the French Government placed several areas under high alert. A bubble of around 650 people was created for the race, including riders, staff members and officials. Everyone was tested twice before the start and then again for every week of racing. Protocols were also in place to limit the attendance of spectators, and to ensure they did not come into contact with the riders. A total of 700,000 masks were available, with half of them for the crowd, as well as two tonnes of sanitiser which was used across the three weeks. Both the NBA and Tour de France successfully proved that sport could return amid the pandemic, albeit under very different circumstances than before. The Tour’s success was demonstrated when the International Cycling Union’s Rasmus Damsgaard was appointed by the International Ski Federation in August as its COVID-19 expert for testing and hygiene. When the move was announced, he was described as the “expert who knows pretty much what there is to know about COVID-19 testing around the world”. A key part of FIS rules is the creation of www.facebook.com/insidethegames

bubbles known as “FIS snowflakes”. The snowflakes contain people who require regular testing and they must abide to strict protocols. Organisers are instructed to keep the snowflake groups away from those who are not subject to the same rules. Recommended measures include housing teams on the same floor, ensuring access to hotel facilities is via stairs to avoid the use of elevators and attempting to separate participants from other guests. Isolation rooms and separate areas for athletes to receive their meals are among other considerations for event organisers. Additionally, participants are required to download an app called the FIS Passport, which records test dates, results and whereabouts information and includes a health questionnaire. On-site or nearby testing with flexible opening hours is another key aspect of the FIS rules. Pandemic protocols, which are now common across sport, show how organisers have been forced to rethink how they stage events. Everything is affected, from accommodation and catering facilities through to transportation and then the actual competition itself. The International Judo Federation resumed its disrupted 2020 season in October with the Budapest Grand Slam. The event was billed as a precursor to the 2021 World Judo Tour season, which successfully launched with a Grand Slam event in Doha in January. More than 400 competitors from 61

The judo season resumed in Budapest with strict rules in place. Photo: IJF

countries arrived in Hungary’s capital city for the restart, with participants warned in advance about measures which “may seem unpleasant”. “We saw the risk assessment from the World Health Organization and saw what they suggested happens with sport,” IJF Medical Commission chair Antonio Castro said after the event. “We try to see the nature of the event, if the event is national or international. We consider how much risk it is to have international participants, what we can do to mitigate the risk of people, the risk from the equipment and from the venue - what happened with the local regulations. “We tried to find a real protocol to work with and have a good tournament with a low risk. The athletes and their health are the most important thing for us.” Competition rules have also needed to be reconsidered, with temporary changes introduced by governing bodies to lower the risk of infection. For instance, saliva is commonly used by cricketers to shine the ball, as bowlers seek

The NBA saved $1 billion after its season resumed in a bubble in Orlando. Photo: Getty Images

@insidethegames

www.insidethegames.biz

Would you like your own high quality publication? g akin the m ames ory inro pean G t is H s t Eu The 1

king

in the ma

15 Baku 20 History

History in the making

Baku 2015

History

Baku 20

in the ma

Azerbaijani judoka, European Judo Championships medalist

king

Elmar Gasimov

Bak u 20 ie Histo

ry in

baku2015.

com

w of

baku

the m akin g

the G a

2015

.com

mes

ISSUE 3 JANUARY 2015

ISSUE 2 R 2014

SEPTEMBE

ISSUE 4

Especially produced for Baku 2015

APRIL 2015

Especially

Issue June

1 2014

ed for

ally Especi

produc

the ‘1

Year

ations ’ celebr

u 20

of Bak

produced

Especially

for Baku 2015

produced

for Baku 2015

ISSUE

Especia

lly pr oduc

JUNE

ed fo

To Go

urnal

OC Jo

N cial A he Offi

The Official ANOC Journal

Issue Six

December 2015

The Offi

cial AN

r Baku

2015

OC Jou

rnal

Issue Eigh Octobe

r 2016

Three Issue 2014 December

We have the skills, expertise and knowledge to provide you with everything you need to create a winning publication from concept through to worldwide distribution. Leaving you to concentrate on your core business.

Would you like to work in partnership with us? Contact advertising@insidethegames.biz The No. 1 Olympic news website in the world 18

www.insidethegames.biz

The No.1 Olympic news website in the world

MICHAEL PAVITT SENIOR REPORTER, INSIDETHEGAMES to make it swing during matches. In one of the more unusual medical bulletins to be issued in sport, the International Cricket Council’s Medical Advisory Committee ruled in May that the use of saliva should be banned, with the use of sweat recommended in its place. Any team breaching this rule was threatened with penalty runs being imposed. Other temporary rule changes included the introduction of COVID-19 substitutes in a Test match should a player start to display symptoms, as well as allowing umpires and match referees from the host country to officiate. The cricketing summer increasingly included delays to matches due to what became known as “hand sanitising breaks”, while the use of equipment has been an issue for several other organisers in recent months. Under the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s return to play guidelines, a series of in-competition measures were put into place. Players are unsurprisingly asked to retrieve their own bats, while a different set of balls is used by each team during an inning. Bases are also required to be cleaned after every half inning. One of the more eye-catching rules regards “mud rubbing”, which is typically used to give pitchers better control and a firmer grip of the ball. Under the return to play protocols, mud rubbing can only be carried out by one appointed person, who is required to wear protective rubber gloves.

The International Ice Hockey Federation Junior World Championship was impacted by positive tests. Photo: Getty Images

Athletes are also banned from chewing tobacco or seeds and spitting at any time, with rules instructing them not to lick their fingers. This was previously considered normal as pitchers tried to gain grip on the ball. The habits of the past have needed to be drummed out of athletes, to reduce the risks posed but also to ensure the public are supportive of the events taking place. Castro said that at judo competitions the tatami had been subjected to a special solution which kills germs and viruses, with a cleaning regime in operation once per hour. Referees also had a special layer applied to their shoes.

Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma had to quarantine before his side's series with Australia. Photo: Getty Images

www.facebook.com/insidethegames

@insidethegames

“Naturally, possible scenarios are studied and prepared,” Castro said. “The equipment we use is disinfected and we use disposable materials. “For catering we are using disposable cups for tea and coffee. In the venues, we are ensuring regular ventilation, we are trying to keep surfaces dry and we are applying special solutions for the tatami. “We are restricting access to areas including the hotel and transportation.” The IJF said it had relayed its guidelines to other International Federations to assist their return to competition. Castro described the protocols as being “dynamic”, with the governing body adapting its measures to meet local circumstances and national rules. He added that the protocols were amended following the Grand Slam event in Budapest, with judoka then allowed to order food from outside the bubble environment. Other changes introduced included a new website for documentation, with delegations uploading the results of their tests. Judo’s experience is an important learning curve for other martial arts, where social distancing is impossible during competition as athletes compete against each other in close proximity. This challenge may explain why combat sports have returned to international competition at a slower pace compared to others. Both the World Karate Federation and World Taekwondo have looked to step up their returns, with the governing bodies introducing similar COVID-19 protocols in recent months. WKF protocols were hailed as a success following a test event in Lisbon in December,

www.insidethegames.biz

while World Taekwondo’s rules were on display when the European Championships for Olympic Weight Categories took place in Sarajevo. “Ensuring taekwondo events can return safely this year is a huge priority for World Taekwondo,” said Chungwon Choue, the governing body’s President. “It is critical that we provide opportunities for our athletes to compete for their own mental and physical wellbeing but also for the wellbeing of our global fanbase. “Like any International Federation, our events are our lifeblood, and so we need events to return in order to continue to grow and support global taekwondo development from grassroots through to elite. “However, as we have made very clear from the beginning, we will only allow events to return when it is safe to do so. No matter how important they are, nothing is more important than the health of our athletes and all those involved. “That is why we have worked thoroughly, with independent experts and medical authorities, to determine the countermeasures that need to be put in place to allow taekwondo events to be held safely. Taekwondo is a sport where athletes are close by nature and so it was important we took our time to develop robust protocols.” Rules adopted by both World Taekwondo and the WKF include athletes only being allowed to remove their masks immediately ahead of their bouts, with the face coverings required to be put back on after contests have ended.

The Tour de France appeared doomed but organisers managed to stage the 2020 race. Photo: Getty Images

Pre-competition considerations have also been required, with athletes given specific times to attend their weigh-ins with the aim of limiting contact between competitors and officials. Only one coach is permitted to join an athlete during their warm-up, with both required to always wear a mask. Coaches and athletes have also been instructed to refrain from any celebration which involves physical contact.

Contact sports like karate face specific challenges due to athletes being in close proximity. Photo: Getty Images

www.insidethegames.biz

During medal ceremonies, athletes are required to simply collect their medal rather than have an official place it around their neck. Officials are also required to always wear a mask, with everyone subject to regular COVID-19 testing. While producing the protocols and guidelines for event organisers and participants is one thing, making sure they are followed is clearly the most important aspect to ensure sporting events can continue to take place. Hockey Canada and Edmonton Events are among the organisations which have been forced to deal with participants recording positive tests before a competition. Ten international teams flew into Edmonton to compete in the International Ice Hockey Federation Junior World Championship in December, with members of the Austrian, Canadian, German and Swedish parties contracting coronavirus. Germany and Sweden registered five and two COVID-19 cases, respectively, shortly before the competition was due to start. "When Germany arrived, by testing daily we knew in a 24-hour period that we had positive tests, and we knew we had five days of quarantine to make a decision on how we were going to manage those positive tests,” said Hockey Canada’s vice-president Dean McIntosh.

The No.1 Olympic news website in the world

MICHAEL PAVITT SENIOR REPORTER, INSIDETHEGAMES

"We had a plan, so that if we got to a certain number of positive tests, these were the steps we were going to take. “Any advice I would give to another group seeking to host a competition during the pandemic is to have a plan in place so that when a crisis does hit, you are able to follow your protocols and you are not trying to devise something midstream. "When Germany had the first couple of tests, we weren’t making any changes. When they got to five positive cases, and we were worried a little bit about the spread, we increased the length of the team quarantine. These were protocols we put forward ahead of that time. "We extended the quarantine for the Swedish team as well, but in a different manner because there were fewer positive cases. No-one came out of the German quarantine until after the 10th day, whereas with Team Sweden we brought them out of quarantine after day five because there were no additional cases.” Breaches of protocol have been recorded at several events which have operated with bubbles, despite severe consequences being in place to ensure the rules are complied with. England cricketer Jofra Archer was fined and handed a written warning after leaving the biosecure bubble during the Test series with the West Indies, with the fast bowler www.facebook.com/insidethegames

missing the second match due to an enforced period of isolation. Sharma was among five Indian cricketers who were forced to isolate as a precaution after being spotted eating at a Melbourne restaurant prior to one of the matches against Australia. Similarly, the NBA required Bruno Caboclo and Richaun Holmes to undergo extended periods of isolation after both breached the rules during their stay in the bubble. Caboclo stepped outside his room during a quarantine period, while Holmes admitted to an accidental breach by collecting a food delivery. Prior to the Tour de France, organisers reported that two positive tests or strong symptoms from a team’s riders or staff within a seven-day period would result in the squad being removed from the race. Similar promises have been made by the likes of the IJF, which said any officials caught breaching protocols would be sent home. The strict consequences are viewed as vital to ensure adherence to the rules, with organisers aware that just one slip-up could result in months of work being wasted. Hockey Canada and Edmonton Events acknowledged they had been forced to take action against a Swedish official ahead of the World Junior Championship, who had proved persistently non-compliant with the regulations while staying in the bubble hotel. A hearing was held and the person involved was then flown home. “That action was taken very swiftly and decisively,” McIntosh said. “I think that made a real statement to everyone in the bubble that we weren’t fooling around as an organisation.

Mask wearing has become the norm for athletes at major events. Photo: Getty Images

“It was not something we publicised, but internally we had the discussions with all the federations that this is what we are doing. “I think that was key. If people started to stray outside of the regulations we, Hockey Canada, were going to be accountable for that. And we weren’t going to let that happen.” Numerous events have taken place under COVID-19 protocols over the past year, with each successful staging becoming a potential template for another organiser to follow or tweak depending on their sport and circumstance. Yet the sporting calendar has continued to be marred by cancellations and postponements, which highlights the ongoing challenge of holding events amid the ever-changing coronavirus pandemic as well as the need for a slice of good fortune. Organisers have often had their hand forced despite their best efforts, with a spike in cases or a change to national guidance leading to plans being amended or scrapped entirely. With the pandemic not yet defeated, it will be interesting to see the journey sport takes from here.

Fast bowler Jofra Archer was punished for breaking COVID-19 protocols. Photo: Getty Images

@insidethegames

www.insidethegames.biz

ONCE UPON A TIME IN ATHENS... The Olympic Movement as we know it was born from Pierre de Coubertin’s vision of resurrecting the Ancient Games in Athens 125 years ago. Philip Barker steps back in time to tell the story of how it all began.

eneath the Parthenon in Athens stands the magnificent Panathenaic Stadium and, a short distance away, a splendid 19th century hall called the Zappeion Megaron. It has been 125 years since both were at the centre of the first Olympic Games of the modern era. Despite many obstacles, the Games went ahead in the spring of 1896. This year’s International Olympic Committee Session planned for the Greek capital in March was to have celebrated the 125th anniversary but, even with the meeting now moved online, the Athens 1896 Games remain as a symbol of sporting history and hope in the uncertain days of 2021. It was appropriate that the world travelled to Greece for the inaugural modern Olympics. In ancient times, the calendar revolved around festivals across the Hellenic world. The most renowned was at Olympia, and the first recorded “Olympic” Games were in 776 BC.

www.insidethegames.biz

A four-year cycle was described as an “Olympiad” and lasted until 393 AD when Roman Emperor Theodosius I, a Christian, branded the Games as a pagan festival. He is thought to have decreed their cessation and ordered the site to be dismantled. An earthquake later completed the destruction. Despite this, Olympia’s Games still fascinated the world hundreds of years later. By the late 19th century, there had already been efforts to recreate their spirit and excavations of the site in Olympia had begun. In 1894, a French nobleman called Pierre de Coubertin arranged a Congress at the Paris Sorbonne, where the idea of Olympic revival took flight. The Greek sporting community nominated Demetrios Vikelas as their representative, a “distinguished man of letters” who was resident in the French capital. He proposed that Athens should be the first modern Olympic host city and this was accepted “to the accompaniment of wild applause”. However, Vikelas’ biographer Alexandros Oikonomos suggested the news “burst over Greece like a bombshell”. An unsteady economic situation prompted Greek Prime Minister Charilaos Trikoupis to oppose the Games and the group which administered the Zappeion spoke of a “hesitation we have felt since the idea was first known”. Coubertin later wrote that “when everything seemed to be going wrong in Athens” the Hungarian IOC member Ferenc Kemény had stepped up and offered to inaugurate the Games in Budapest. “I took care not to repulse the offer, but contented myself with using them to spur on the Greeks,” Coubertin admitted, and he travelled to Athens with Vikelas to rally support. The pair were greatly encouraged by Greek

The medals presented to winners in 1896 were silver and not gold. Photo: Getty Images

newspapers which had seized on the Olympic idea and local people were also positive. Crown Prince Constantine demonstrated the enthusiasm of the Royal Family by leading the Organising Committee. The 1896 Games were tiny by modern standards, but Vikelas warned that “no matter what happens, money is required”. “It must be found quickly,” he stressed. Donations were sought from “distinguished Greeks abroad” but progress was initially slow. Games secretary Timoleon Philemon made a breakthrough when he travelled to meet Georgios Averof, a prosperous Greek merchant who lived in Egypt. He was described as “a man who will give all should his heart be touched”. Averof perhaps became the first “blue chip” Olympic sponsor and agreed to bankroll the restoration of the marble Panathenaic Stadium, an undertaking which eventually cost more than 900,000 drachmas. Costs at other venues also proved more expensive than originally forecast. To help with the budget, organisers released a special series of commemorative stamps which brought in a further 400,000 drachmas. Eventually, with donations large and small, the funds were said to be “amply sufficient”. London travel agents Thomas Cook arranged excursions to the Games. They had representatives in Marseille and Athens,

The No.1 Olympic news website in the world

PHILIP BARKER HISTORIAN, INSIDETHEGAMES

where a desk was established at the Hotel Grande Bretagne. The provisional sports programme listed cricket, sailing and equestrian events but these were ultimately not included. The Games were held in April, although as Greece still used the Julian calendar the opening day was also listed as March 25, the country’s national day. When Coubertin arrived with his wife Marie, he told Greek newspaper To Asty the idea of the Games was “to hold peaceful international competition among the youth of the world while creating an international athletic brotherhood”. At the grand opening, “most of the wedges were filled with spectators, long before the hour fixed for the beginning”, according to the official report. The Royal Family arrived and sat on “marble chairs of honour covered with red velvet” and the Crown Prince rose to speak. “May it be O King, the revival of the

Olympic Games may tighten the bonds of friendship between the Hellenic people and other nations,” he said. King George I then opened the Games but the ceremony had no Olympic Flame and the famous symbol of five interlocking rings had not yet been introduced. There was, however, an “Olympic cantata” written by Corfiot composer Spyridon Samaras with lyrics from national poet Kostis Palamas. The words “gave life to noble Games” and it proved so popular it prompted an encore. Samaras later incorporated it into an Olympic themed opera called Rhea. Much later, after an interval of more than 60 years, the cantata was adopted as the official Olympic Hymn after a performance in Tokyo. It is heard at Opening Ceremonies to this day. Immediately after the formalities, the sport began. Today more than 10,000 athletes compete but in 1896 there were fewer than 250 and all were men.

The marble Panathenaic Stadium was restored after the work was bankrolled by a Greek philanthropist. Photo: Getty Images

www.facebook.com/insidethegames

@insidethegames

Pierre de Coubertin, sitting left, and other IOC members gather in Athens before the Games. Photo: Getty Images

This was partly because there had been hostility to the new event from some existing sporting authorities and few nations had yet established National Olympic Committees. Some were discouraged by a long and expensive journey which forced athletes such as Irish-born student John Pius Boland, who was destined to win two titles in tennis, to travel independently. The Greeks admitted their “athletic and gymnastic sports had hitherto not arrived at such a degree of development” but the hosts still provided the most competitors. The first athletics race, a heat in the 100 metres, was a sign of things to come because the winner was American. Francis Lane was one of 14 who made the trip from the United States and had been struck down by seasickness on the voyage to the Games. The American team also included James Connolly, who left academic life at Harvard University to compete in the triple jump. “The superior skill of the American Connolly was recognised by everybody,” said the official report as it recorded the first Olympic champion since ancient times. “In compliment to his nationality, the American flag was hoisted in the centre of the arena by sailors of the Royal Navy, stationed there for the purpose.” Connolly’s medal for winning was silver, with gold medals not introduced until the

www.insidethegames.biz

People Experts in Sport Business. We help sports organisations solve problems in Engaging, Acquiring, Developing and Retaining talent. Let's solve your People challenges. Find out more at globalsportsbusiness.com

BUSINESS & PEOPLE SOLUTIONS

www.insidethegames.biz

The No.1 Olympic news website in the world

PHILIP BARKER HISTORIAN, INSIDETHEGAMES

The 100 metres at the first Olympic Games of the modern era looked very different to what it does today. Photo: Getty Images

St. Louis Games in 1904. That night the Parthenon was lit up, and local guild members bearing torches paraded through the city. Illuminations became a nightly feature. A short distance away from the stadium at the Zappeion, the masters foil fencing “excited the interest of the audience to the highest degree”. Leonidas Pyrgos of Greece beat French opponent Joanni Perronet in the final to “frenetic applause”. American brothers John and Sumner Paine both won gold in pistol events at the new shooting range, while the swimming took place in the sea near Piraeus. The water temperature was only 13 degrees when Alfréd Hajós of Hungary plunged in to win the 100m freestyle. He also won the endurance race, a forerunner of the open water events which take place today. Rowing was also scheduled as a “nautical” event but “the elements continued to rage with such fury that every idea of a boat race had to be given up”, according to the official report. At the stadium, wrestling provided a connection to the Games of ancient times. In the final, Germany’s Carl Schuhmann - “an athlete of short stature but strong muscular build” - overcame Georgios Tsitas of Greece after an epic contest which lasted into a second day as the sky darkened. In the same arena, Schuhmann also won three titles in gymnastics. Events in the sport included rope climbing, won by Nikolaos Andriakopoulos of Greece. In weightlifting, Britain’s Launceston Elliot won the single handed lift with a dumbbell. He also “attracted universal admiration by his uncommon type of beauty” and received a proposal of marriage from an admirer. The triumph of Viggo Jensen of Denmark in the two handed lift was the highlight of his busy week. He placed third in rifle www.facebook.com/insidethegames

shooting and also competed in shot put, discus and the rope climb. Cycling was staged at a specially constructed open air velodrome. The road race brought Greece further joy, although eventual champion Aristidis Konstantinidis was beset by “disagreeable accidents”. He fell off three times and eventually completed the course on the starter’s bike. In a special edition of To Asty to mark the Games, a poem by Aristomenis Proveleggios, a politician and a man of letters, was addressed to runners in a long distance foot race of 40 kilometres which began in Marathon. “Strivers on the road to Athens,” it read. “Pound the earth with impatient passion. This earth of immortal greatness, and strive for honour and glory!” Marathon starters included Australian Edwin Flack, who had already won the 800m and 1500m. He also partnered fellow London Athletic Club member George Robertson in the doubles tennis. After these exertions it was unsurprising, perhaps, that Flack did not finish. But in the stadium “a living ocean of throbbing hearts awaited the victor” as a police chief arrived to proclaim that Greek shepherd Spyridon Louis was out in front. Hugues Le Roux, the correspondent for French newspaper Le Figaro, described “one of those thrills which passes through crowds like an electric current”. Louis was feted everywhere. In addition to the medal he received, a silver cup was donated by Frenchman Michel Bréal who had first suggested the marathon race. To Asty published a letter signed by “many young people of Athens” which said the “greatest proof of our gratitude” to Louis would be to elect him as a Member of Parliament. Coubertin was somewhat offended that the King’s speech praising the Games made @insidethegames

no mention of his part. Vikelas did, however, toast “my friend Baron de Coubertin to whom we owe the resurrection of the Games”. Robertson, who finished fourth in the discus as well as partnering Flack in the tennis, was a classical scholar. He delighted his hosts by performing an ode he had composed in Greek. “Athens all hail O rejoicing throng,” he said. “And from our lips receive the tributary song.” Boris Johnson, then London Mayor and now the British Prime Minister, also recited a Greek verse at the Games in 2012. The respected Olympic professor Konstantinos Georgiadis believes the 1896 Games “gave Greeks a unique chance to display national single mindedness, unity and social solidarity”. They also captivated Hollywood. In 1962, 20th Century Fox released It Happened in Athens starring Jayne Mansfield and featuring legendary decathlete Bob Mathias.

Marathon champion Spyridon Louis became an instant Olympic hero for Greece. Photo: Getty Images

In a later TV miniseries called The First Olympics: Athens 1896, Louis Jourdan played De Coubertin, with Jason Connery and Angela Lansbury also in the cast. This year, Greek network ERT is to screen a documentary about 1896 and an Olympic Museum is also set to open near the stadium used when Athens hosted the Games again in 2004. Appropriately, this is in the district of Maroussi, once home to the most enduring hero of 1896 - marathon champion Louis.

www.insidethegames.biz

YOU CAN’T KEEP US DOWN Paralympians are used to battling against adversity so it’s no wonder they fought back against the coronavirus pandemic. Geoff Berkeley explores a Movement which faced the challenge head on with the ultimate goal of Tokyo 2020.

ipping into a pool of murky water to train is enough to suggest Col Pearse is prepared to do anything to achieve his Paralympic dream even a global health crisis will not stop him. Unable to access his normal training facility due to the coronavirus shutdown, the 17-year-old Australian went back to his leafy hometown of Echuca in Victoria to live and train on his parents’ dairy farm. It was a far cry from the comfortable confines of Melbourne H2O Swimming Club, but Pearse did not complain and simply made the best out of what he had. After making lane ropes out of old milk bottles, Pearse strung them along a dam and continued to train as normal. “Stories like that just make you think ‘wow, there is so much resilience in these athletes that you shouldn’t underestimate them,’” said Kate McLoughlin, Australia’s Chef de Mission for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Para-athletes, like Pearse, are used to dealing with adversity. Many were born with impairments, suffered life-changing injuries or had their lives impacted by conditions such as

www.insidethegames.biz

muscular dystrophy or post-polio syndrome. In Pearse’s case, he was just two-years-old when he had his right foot amputated after a collision with a ride-on mower at his family’s farm. But Pearse has refused to let anything hold him back. In March last year, Paralympians had their plans put on hold when the coronavirus pandemic forced the Games to be postponed by a year. But McLoughlin is proud of the way her athletes have dealt with the restrictions placed on them, with the Australian Government taking a swift and firm stance to combat COVID-19. “It was a shock, but the beauty of the Paralympic Movement is that there is so much resilience within it,” said McLoughlin. “The ability to adapt and be really flexible to what has been thrown at us has certainly come to the fore. “Our athletes have had to be flexible their whole lives so for all of us to be thrown into a situation where you are unable to get to training and see your team-mates on a regular basis has been a lot to handle. “But they managed to adapt really well

and find different ways of doing things.” The International Paralympic Committee Athletes’ Council, chaired by Canadian swimmer Chelsey Gotell, has played a key role in ensuring IPC officials are informed of Paralympians’ concerns as they make plans for the rescheduled Games. Gotell said there was initially a lot of tension among athletes as they searched for answers on when competitive action would return. But with coronavirus cases surging and deaths mounting, Gotell, a 12-time Paralympic medallist, said athletes were soon made aware they had to focus on supporting each other through these dark and challenging times. “I remember when we held a call with our athlete representatives after the decision was made to postpone the Games,” Gotell said. “Our representative from Italy started speaking up about the impact COVID-19 was having on her community which really set the tone for me and the other people on the call that day. “She said ‘we are in lockdown and can’t go out, so we have to try to make the best out of what we have at home’.

The No.1 Olympic news website in the world

GEOFF BERKELEY SENIOR REPORTER, INSIDETHEGAMES “Everyone has experienced disadvantages over the past year but when it comes to people with a disability you have to support each other even more, especially when you are totally locked down and unable to get to the grocery store to get food and essentials. “It has been great to see so many athletes come together online and share their experiences and tips on how to manage things better at home. “It has really brought the community closer together.” While athletes have had to find new ways of keeping themselves in shape, the IPC also had to adapt quickly to overcome its own challenges. In a bid to balance the books, the IPC slashed its operational budget by 20 per cent. The organisation also reviewed about 300 contracts related to the Games to ensure they were carried over to 2021. Craig Spence, the chief marketing and communications officer for the IPC, said it was a “huge piece of work” by its legal team. “All our partners have been extremely supportive of the situation we have faced as they are also facing it themselves,” said Spence. “They realise that this pandemic is not due to the IPC’s doing, so they have been super helpful and flexible.” Despite budget cuts, the IPC - led by President Andrew Parsons - has continued to support its National Paralympic Committees and International Federations. In December last year, the IPC pledged to provide €1.8 million in grant funding to its members in 2021 in response to the coronavirus crisis. The initiative came as a result of financial support from the Toyota NPC Development Programme and IPC international partner Citi. “Throughout the pandemic, we have kept in touch with our membership because they have all been struggling,” said Spence. “The challenges differ from country to country. “For example, in Africa you had some athletes that even moved into the local athletics stadium after being told they would be at the back of the queue for treatment because they had a disability which is ridiculous in this day and age. “As they were living in densely populated villages, they moved to the athletics stadium, so they were less at risk of getting COVID-19.” Officials at the IPC, the International Olympic Committee and the local Organising Committee have also been www.facebook.com/insidethegames

The Paralympic Movement has focused its energy on the rearranged Tokyo 2020 Games. Photo: Getty Images

putting together a package of coronavirus countermeasures to ensure the safety of both able-bodied and Para-athletes in Japan. With more transmissible variants threatening to prolong the pandemic, question marks linger over the staging of Tokyo 2020 this year. But, having witnessed how tournament organisers have put on events in recent months while gaining greater knowledge of how the virus behaves, there remains optimism among IPC officials. Spence said the rollout of vaccination programmes was another reason to be hopeful the Games will begin on August 24 as planned. “The likelihood is that come Games-time there will be a number of people that attend that have been vaccinated and we are already seeing Paralympians being vaccinated in several countries around the world,” said Spence. “If we could get to the Games and everyone could be vaccinated, that would be the perfect objective and lessen our headaches. “However, we realise there is a priority list.” Organisers have now unveiled the playbook which provides details on the responsibilities each person will have when attending the Games. “There is usually a technical manual for everything but there is not one for how to organise the Olympics and Paralympics during a pandemic,” said Spence. “But it’s been a great team effort. For the last 10 months the team has been developing @insidethegames

this plan which will ensure the safe and secure delivery of the Games this summer.” Should Tokyo 2020 go ahead, badminton and taekwondo will make their long-awaited Paralympic debuts. It has been a frustrating wait for the Badminton World Federation and World Taekwondo, which have both suffered huge setbacks as a result of the delay and the cancellation of events in 2020. Thomas Lund, secretary general at the BWF, said the extra resources needed to protect athletes against COVID-19 had been “demanding”. “We have been able to conduct a number of tournaments at the highest level within badminton,” said Lund. “But when we talk about Para-badminton and lower-level tournaments, it has been shocking because of the hosts having fewer financial resources for the set-ups you need with testing and all the other requirements needed due to COVID-19.

Canada's Chelsey Gotell has played a key role in ensuring the voice of athletes has been heard. Photo: Getty Images

www.insidethegames.biz

The No.1 Olympic news website in the world

GEOFF BERKELEY SENIOR REPORTER, INSIDETHEGAMES

Australia's Col Pearse, right, has been forced to innovate to keep his Paralympic dream alive. Photo: Getty Images

Tokyo 2020 would be the end of an emotional journey, should the Games go ahead. Photo: Getty Images

“We feel the IOC, the IPC and Tokyo 2020 are all doing the right things and that will do the trick so everyone can come to the Paralympics and Olympics.” Last April, World Taekwondo launched its “Kicking It At Home” campaign which saw Para-athletes post videos of themselves keeping active during lockdown on social media. Olof Hansson, the governing body’s director of Para-taekwondo, said the initiative proved a big hit but he is now determined to showcase the sport on the big stage. “What we learned from 2020 is that things can change in a very short time,” he said. “There is far more awareness within the World Taekwondo community about Para-taekwondo. “It was already big before the inclusion in the Paralympic Games, but I believe this has been further increased thanks to the work of our committees.” Qualification for the Paralympics remains a sticking point, though, with 18 Para-taekwondo slots still to be filled and continental qualifiers in Asia and Europe yet to be held. McLoughlin is hoping to send up to 190 Australian athletes to Tokyo 2020 but is waiting for qualification events to take place in triathlon, badminton, wheelchair tennis and powerlifting to achieve her goal. “We have got 70 per cent of our slots confirmed,” she said. “That is a fairly good percentage but at the same time there is concern over the additional 30. “I am really confident that the IPC along with the International Federations are working hard on making a fair qualification www.facebook.com/insidethegames

pathway for those athletes that have not been given an opportunity to compete due to events being cancelled or postponed. “The next couple of months are going to be critical to see how that plays out so we can send the best possible team across to Tokyo 2020.” Should athletes finally arrive in the Japanese capital for the Games, it will be the end of a long and emotional journey. After so much disruption it would be no surprise to see performances suffer, but Gotell is confident records will tumble in Tokyo.

“This pause has shifted athletes’ perspectives to be able to train smarter,” she said. “It has made athletes really focus on areas like visualisation and mindfulness. “That will showcase itself at the Games this summer and I think we will see more records drop. “The Games is the perfect opportunity to unite everyone after something like COVID-19 with sport being a driver for change. That is super exciting. “Hopefully, we will be in the stadiums, seeing world records break, athletes win gold medals and tears on the podium. “That will be the icing on the cake to everything that the whole world has experienced over the last 12 months.” Australia’s teenage sensation Pearse is set to star at the Paralympics and who would bet against him finishing at the top of the podium?

The IPC needed to balance its books following the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: Getty Images

@insidethegames

www.insidethegames.biz

A bridge too far The unprecedented delay to Tokyo 2020 meant the dreams of some athletes were stopped in their tracks. Mike Rowbottom reports on the men and women who could not wait another year.

he Olympic and Paralympic Games are meant to be the ultimate test for competitors from around the world, and so it has proved with the mental strength of would-be Olympians and Paralympians challenged as never before by the incursions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fear and doubt; doubt and fear. Hope and despair; despair and hope. For those trying to ready themselves for the ultimate test of their mind, body and spirit - citius, altius, fortius - the fluctuating messages surrounding the ill-fated Tokyo 2020 Games have been deeply disturbing and distracting. Following the original postponement of the Games from 2020, the new Olympic starting date of July 23 this year has been viewed by many with an increasing sense of incredulity, although both organisers and the International Olympic Committee have pushed back. Earlier this year, IOC President Thomas Bach insisted there was "no reason whatsoever" to think Tokyo 2020 would not open as planned and that there was "no plan B". When British newspaper The Times ran a story which said the Japanese Government had already privately concluded Tokyo 2020 would be cancelled, quoting a member of the Japanese cabinet,

www.insidethegames.biz

another tremor went through the sporting movement. British Para-athlete Stefanie Reid, a three-time Paralympic medallist and the 2017 world champion in the T44 long jump, expressed the emotions of many when she tweeted in response to this latest twist to the tale. “This is exhausting,” the 36-year-old said. “If it is true, make it official. If it’s just a rumour, stop playing with emotions and mental health to sell stories.” Bach responded by saying such speculation about cancellation was “hurting athletes”. Sebastian Coe, the President of World Athletics, expressed his concern about athletes being “swept along from rumour to rumour”. For the vast majority of potential Tokyo Olympians and Paralympians, the sense of uncertainty remains. Of course, nobody in the world can be certain of the immediate future in the current circumstances. But, most people in the world do not face the task of presenting their best-ever self to a challenge in less than six months’ time, that may prove to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. While most will wait, there are a number of distinguished athletes, many of them nearing the end of their careers, who have decided another year of training and hoping for the Tokyo Games to take

The No.1 Olympic news website in the world

MIKE ROWBOTTOM CHIEF FEATURE WRITER, INSIDETHEGAMES

Chinese badminton legend Lin Dan is among the athletes who have given up their bid for Tokyo 2020. Photo: Getty Images

place is just too much to ask. So they have retired. Even the lure of competing at a home Games has not proven enough to keep some athletes on track to Tokyo. Japanese women’s volleyball player Risa Shinnabe, for instance. The 30-year-old announced her retirement from the sport in June, citing an injured right hand as a major reason. Shinnabe said her plan was to end her playing career after competing at the Tokyo Games, but she could no longer commit after her injury required surgery in April. “I thought that it would be a little difficult for me to play as well as I would hope to and contribute to the team in a year from now,” she said. The London 2012 bronze medallist said she was “devastated” when she heard the Games would be pushed back to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “That one year, to me, felt very long,” she said. When asked about her plans if the Games had gone ahead as scheduled last year, she responded: “I was going to do my best to try to be one of the 12 players on the roster.” But in the end Shinnabe, who missed the Rio 2016 Olympics due to injuries, decided to step back. “I’ve felt that it was getting more difficult to maintain my physical condition and my performance was declining year in and year out,” she said. “And I could no longer imagine that I would be able to go through the same cycle for another year and maintain my condition.” Women’s basketball point guard Manami Fujioka is another Japanese athlete for whom the Tokyo 2020 timing has been especially bad. In January, after returning to action following an ankle problem, the 27-year-old suffered a further injury which caused her to lay aside her ambition to compete in the Olympics if they go ahead this year. www.facebook.com/insidethegames

Probably the highest profile athlete who has decided the Olympics in 2021 are a year too far is China’s badminton legend Lin Dan. In July last year, at the age of 36, the men’s individual gold medallist at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympics announced he would not be continuing his career in the hope of appearing at a fifth Games. "From 2000 to 2020, after 20 years, I have to say goodbye to the national team. It is very difficult for me to say it out loud," Lin posted on his Sina Weibo account. The phrase "Lin Dan retires" quickly earned 180 million views on Weibo within hours, with many expressing their dismay. Lin won 666 singles matches, including his two Olympic golds and five individual world titles. "My physical capabilities and injuries won't let me fight with my team-mates anymore," he wrote. "I've dedicated everything to the sport I love. My family, coaches, team-mates and fans have accompanied me through many happy times and difficult moments.” With 16 months between the announcement of the Tokyo 2020 postponement and the new scheduled start date, numerous others have concluded that the delay is insurmountable. Japanese rugby union winger Kenki Fukuoka took the decision to retire in order to pursue a medical career. Fukuoka, now 28, had planned a last hurrah at the Games, where he would have been a key player for the hosts in the rugby

Japanese volleyball player Risa Shinnabe has ended her career despite the chance of a home Games. Photo: Getty Images

sevens after producing inspirational performances for Japan at their home Rugby World Cup in 2019. Japan would have been looking for the type of display he put in during that tournament, where he scored four tries as the hosts went on a run to the quarter-finals. But, on the pitch at least, there will be no more home heroics from Fukuoka. Eddie Dawkins, New Zealand’s three-time world champion and Olympic silver medallist from Rio 2016, is another top performer who believes the delay to the postponed Games is a bridge too far.

Para-athlete Stefanie Reid said the speculation about Tokyo 2020 was "exhausting". Photo: Getty Images

@insidethegames

www.insidethegames.biz

The No.1 Olympic news website in the world

MIKE ROWBOTTOM CHIEF FEATURE WRITER, INSIDETHEGAMES Dawkins retired from cycling in April, a month after the Games were delayed. He "wanted to commit everything I had into one last Olympic campaign for Tokyo 2020" as part of the men's sprint team, but the wait was too long. "To now face a further year on top of that, and with no certainty even then, is a step too far for me," the 31-year-old said. Dawkins’ compatriot, hockey player Gemma McCaw, has also decided against a fourth Summer Games after retiring ahead of Tokyo. She played 246 times for the Black Sticks with her first Olympics coming at Beijing 2008. She finished fourth twice, at London 2012 and then Rio 2016, and has relinquished her hopes of a medal. McCaw, who is married to All Blacks rugby union legend Richie, first stepped away from hockey after Rio, giving birth to their first child two years later. But she intended to make an Olympic return and resumed action with the Black Sticks in February 2019. “When I came out of retirement to rejoin the Black Sticks, I was so excited to be back playing and working towards the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,” the 30-year-old wrote on Instagram when announcing her decision. "No-one could've imagined a global pandemic getting in the way of that dream, but there are things beyond our control. Lockdown taught me many things, but most importantly those seven weeks at home brought into focus just how important family is. "So, with that in mind, I've made the decision to end my Black Sticks journey here. I am so glad I gave it another shot and I'm proud to have done this as a mum, but I feel it's time now to focus on our family." British rower Tom Ransley, an Olympic champion in Rio as part of the men's eight, was planning to compete at a third Summer Games in Tokyo. However, the 35-year-old, who also won bronze at his first Olympics in London, has hung up his oars. "Rio was very special," Ransley said. "I had a brutal time trying to get myself there, as did the rest of the crew. There were some

Gymnastics star Simone Biles mulled over her future before deciding to commit to Tokyo 2020. Photo: Getty Images

www.facebook.com/insidethegames

Andrew Bogut said his body was "hanging by a thread" when announcing his retirement. Photo: Getty Images

really tough individual journeys along the way and I'm incredibly proud to be in the company of that eight." Australian basketball player Andrew Bogut, who had planned to compete at his fourth Olympics in Tokyo and seek a place on the podium having finished fourth at the Rio Games, is another who has found the hiatus too demanding. The 36-year-old conceded he would need to take "a lot of painkillers" to get to Japan, but felt it was "just not worth it" while claiming his body was "hanging by a thread". Australian hockey co-captain Jodie Kenny, 33, decided the lure of trying to earn an Olympic medal at the third attempt was not enough to enable her to do what she knew was required to be in peak condition. "Making this decision to retire was a mix of everything," she said. "Emotions, motivation and uncertainty around what things will look like with COVID and the extra commitments around travel and quarantine periods. "My heart was still wanting to go on and play but my head just wasn't anymore." Others at the top of their sport have deliberated whether to go the extra mile to the shifted Games - and no-one has done so with more intensity than multiple Olympic and world gymnastics gold medallist Simone Biles, who made her ambivalence very clear before finally opting to extend her career until the other side of Tokyo. The 23-year-old from Columbus, Ohio was one of many to suffer at the hands of disgraced team doctor Larry Nassar, and has been a strong critic of what she sees as the inadequate preventative and restorative measures taken by USA Gymnastics. In tennis, identical twins Bob and Mike @insidethegames

Bryan, who have won multiple Olympic medals in doubles, including the men’s gold in 2012, and have won more Grand Slams than any other men's pairing, decided in August they would retire. The decision of the 42-year-old Americans came when it became clear what they hoped would be a farewell tour of their favoured courts would in fact be empty stands and remote viewing. Julia Görges, one of Germany's leading tennis players, also made an unexpected announcement of her retirement. Aged 32, she decided life outside her sport, which the pandemic lockdown obliged her to experience more fully than she had for many years, was calling her to new things. "It just showed me how nice life can be away from tennis, too," she said. "If you just have it for two to three weeks like in the off-season, [retirement] never comes to your mind, but if you have stayed away from the tour for five to six months, it just opens up a whole different new chapter." Happily, the Tokyo delay has worked the other way for some athletes for whom last year would have been an impossible ask. Britain’s Helen Glover, who won coxless pairs rowing gold with Heather Stanning at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics, is one who will benefit. At the age of 34 and having had three children since retiring after the Rio Games, Glover announced in January she was back in full-time training. "As my scores and times started getting better, I began to wonder if I could be the first woman in British rowing history to make an Olympic team after having children,” she said. "I’m finding the journey exciting and extremely challenging.”

www.insidethegames.biz

Sports tourism is usually a huge business but the COVID-19 pandemic has trapped both fans and amateur athletes at home. Michael Houston reports on a money-draining consequence of the global health crisis.

he International Olympic Committee has been adamant Tokyo 2020 will go ahead in 2021, much like it was in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic before its arm was forced and the Games were postponed. There is now less than five months before the rescheduled start of the Olympics, and many insist the Games will take place in some form. But it is really down to one thing - money. Yes, the IOC want to ensure athletes can achieve their Olympic dreams and it wants to put on a spectacle for the world to see. But, more importantly, the Games would not exist if they were not seen as profitable. Not only do the IOC make billions in broadcasting rights, but a large part of a country’s justification for hosting the event

www.insidethegames.biz

is down to money being put back into the local economy. Olympic Games generally mean an initial loss for the taxpayer, but boosts to infrastructure and tourism can enhance a city’s profile in the long-term. In 2018, the deputy mayor of Sochi Sergei Yurchenko said 6.5 million tourists had visited the city the previous year. Before Sochi held the Winter Olympics in 2014, there had been a fall in numbers in the area since the collapse of the Soviet Union. By the late 1980s, around 5 million people visited per year, with 2.35 million visiting in 2008 - the year after the Olympics were awarded to Sochi - according to the municipal administration website. These figures are encouraging considering Sochi is often said to have hosted the most expensive Games in Olympic history, with total costs coming in around £40 billion. To nearly triple tourism in less than a decade shows the effect hosting a sporting competition can have on an economy in the long-term. If not for COVID-19, around 40 million foreign visitors were expected in Japan in 2020, according to a Japanese Government estimate in August 2019. This would have brought in an anticipated £63 billion across the year.

Already, Tokyo 2020 is expected to be the most expensive Summer Olympics ever, with the latest cost update in December bringing the total to £11.5 billion thanks to the postponement to 2021. Problems caused by the one-year delay do not only impact the host city, but tour operators around the world. One of these is Japan Journeys, a London-based company which specialises in excursions to the Land of the Rising Sun. Some of its clients include media and logistics companies which were set to head to Tokyo last year before the postponement of the Games. Managing director James Greenfield stressed that COVID-19 had left the tourism industry in the “unknown”. “The big word is uncertainty,” he said. “Because there’s so much uncertainty, everyone is holding back to see what’s happening. “There are a lot of corporate clients who want to go out [to Tokyo], but they’re just holding back. The signals in Japan are very conflicting. “The year of an Olympics in any city, normal tourism goes down. All the athletes and their family and friends go, but normal tourism goes down because people know the prices will go up and rooms will be scarce. It’s the following year when you get the

The No.1 Olympic news website in the world

MICHAEL HOUSTON JUNIOR REPORTER, INSIDETHEGAMES

Sochi witnessed a rise in tourist numbers after hosting the 2014 Winter Games. Photo: Getty Images

boom. Tokyo’s tourism has been going up a lot since the Government has been focusing on it over the last 10 years and, if not for the pandemic, they’d be counting on a huge boom.” Although Greenfield admitted it would not be devastating to him to lose the Games, he suggested if tour companies like Japan Journeys were to discourage travel to Japan, it could have a knock-on effect on their business. This could be a

scenario if tourism to the country does not return to its normal levels post-pandemic. While the Olympics is regarded as the grandest showcase on earth, football lives up to its title as the “universal language” of the world. When UEFA decided to host Euro 2020 in various locations around Europe, there were plenty who called it a “gimmick” as the move was a departure from the traditional hosting of the

Championships in one or two countries. More travel will be involved but others viewed it as a great opportunity for fans to see football in a number of locations. At this stage, it is safe to say the “gimmick” has been a failure, albeit due to circumstances out of UEFA’s control. Foreign fans will not be able to travel to see their team compete in large numbers effectively meaning at least more than half of the 24 nations involved at the rearranged

Mass participation races such as the London Marathon usually bring in millions. Photo: Getty Images

www.facebook.com/insidethegames

@insidethegames

tournament this year will not have their usual contingent of supporters in attendance. Instead, Wales could play Switzerland in Baku in front of a crowd of Azerbaijanis, while Sweden and Poland are set to compete in front of Irish fans in Dublin. At least the Polish community is a fair size in Ireland and their clash could be seen as a de facto home game, but the Welsh surnames Jones, Davies and Williams are not too common in the Caucasus region. Of course, stadiums could be shut completely to spectators by the time June comes, if the virus continues to wreak havoc. It would be a cruel irony for the likes of Scotland, whose team has qualified for its first major competition in 23 years, if there is a complete ban on crowds. As someone who is a distance runner when not stuck behind the desk, I have seen many of my team-mates’ races cancelled over the past 12 months because of the pandemic. National races have fallen victim to the health crisis and the world’s biggest

www.insidethegames.biz

The plan to hold Euro 2020 in front of fans across Europe has been thwarted by COVID-19. Photo: Getty Images

marathons have also been hit by major cancellations. The London Marathon went ahead with an elite-only field last year, meaning some of the best mass start athletes, who would have been chasing Commonwealth Games standards, were unable to compete. One of those athletes spoke about his routine weekend in London for the race, and estimated he would spend around £500 to £600 across three nights. Most of this was spent on accommodation and travel, but also the traditional carbohydrate load before the race and the rounds of beers afterwards. Although not everyone has that same expenditure, the race attracts 40,000 runners, as well

as their friends and family who come to support them. At the New York City Marathon, more than 50,000 athletes competed at the 2017 edition of the race, representing 139 countries from across the world. In the same year, more than 9,000 runners raised $35.5 million for good causes, proving sports tourism does not just benefit organisers and cities but also charities which rely on events for their fundraising. The New York City Marathon brings a reported $415 million of economic benefits to the city, according to the latest analysis published in 2018. Elsewhere in the United States, the Chicago Marathon brings in around $378 million and the Boston Marathon $200 million. London and

www.insidethegames.biz

Tokyo’s marathons also bring in economic benefits of more than $150 million.

L'Étape du Tour - an amateur cycling race which runs on one of the Tour de France’s rest days on the same route as the iconic event - was cancelled in 2020. A total of 15,000 riders usually take to the road and this year they are scheduled to pedal on the south coast in Nice, if restrictions allow. Fifteen countries have tour operators for the event, which assist with general planning for riders and book transport and accommodation. This usually includes riders attending stages of the Tour de France as spectators and pumping money into the local economy of the villages and towns that are part of the route. In motorsport, hosting a Formula One race is a massive commitment and one that can boost the profile of a country. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is regarded as a modern classic despite the ongoing human rights controversies in the nation, while the Korean and Indian Grands Prix both failed due to their inability to turn a profit by not attracting enough fans. The Vietnamese and Dutch Grands Prix were new additions for the 2020 season, but COVID-19 ended any chance of either race going ahead. Vietnam

Tokyo 2020 ticketholders face an anxious wait. Photo: Getty Images

The No.1 Olympic news website in the world

MICHAEL HOUSTON JUNIOR REPORTER, INSIDETHEGAMES

Formula One relies on its "travelling circus" of fans to remain viable. Photo: Getty Images

is now off the calendar for 2021 due to one of its key organisers facing corruption charges. The Netherlands is set for a 2021 return, but there is no guarantee the race will survive past its three-year contract if it is not a financially stable event. With ticket sales a large part of Formula One revenue, the organisation reported a $104 million loss in the third quarter of 2020, showing the “travelling circus” requires a consistent influx of fans to keep its business model successful. According to Statista, sports tourism directly contributed £2.12 trillion to gross domestic product

globally in 2019, while a report from ResearchAndMarkets.com suggested the market was worth around £1.61 trillion in 2020. It also made a revision to its estimation for 2027, and now predicts the sports tourism market will be worth around £10.5 trillion by that year. The United Nations World Tourism Organization also states that the industry was worth around £610 billion in 2019 with sport accounting for 10 per cent of the world’s tourism spend. This suggests different criteria is used for quantifying its worth - but all the statistics point towards general growth year on year.

www.facebook.com/insidethegames

“Mega sport events such as Olympics and World Cups can be a catalyst for tourism development if successfully leveraged in terms of destination branding, infrastructure development and other economic and social benefits,” says the UNWTO in its definition of sports tourism. The past 12 months have shown how fragile sports tourism can be and why this industry needs to have contingency plans in the future to overcome pandemics, something the developed world has taken for granted for decades.

@insidethegames

However, the industry has previously survived wartime hiatuses and global recessions. COVID will not be the death knell for sports, but it could make us think twice about preparations in future. Revered Celtic manager Jock Stein once stated that “football without the fans is nothing” and with spectator bans looking like a certainty for the near-future, you could extend his quote to all of sport. The industry cannot take fans for granted in future, because the constant movement of people at events is what makes sport such a profitable market.

www.insidethegames.biz

MIKE ROWBOTTOM CHIEF FEATURE WRITER, INSIDETHEGAMES

Work and play The sporting world eagerly digested the “playbooks” which outline how Tokyo 2020 can proceed safely. But Mike Rowbottom thinks they should be renamed.

ey, Tokyo 2020 organisers! I understand your difficulties, of course. But your recent instruction to media members who may yet cover the unfortunately-timed Games is not exactly a “playbook”, is it? It is a set of reasonably onerous, doubtless necessary restrictions - give or take a few absurdities. It has nothing remotely to do with play, which is free and light-hearted. It is in fact the opposite of play. It is a workbook. There will be a reduction of media capacity by 50 per cent. But organisers are not reducing the number of media attending, and places in the Main Press Centre will be available on a “first come, first served basis”. That could be a new and unedifying Olympic event right there. Press will be asked to “keep physical interactions with others to a minimum” during their stay at the Games and ensure there is “two metres distance from athletes and one metre from others”. Does this mean that athletes are twice as important as others? Just asking. Singing or chanting when watching athletes has been banned, apparently, with press instead asked to clap. Excuse me? Is this a dig along the lines of the old “fans with typewriters” comment? Press don’t sing. Press don’t chant. Press report. Okay, I’ll admit I have occasionally shouted out useful advice to athletes at moments of high emotion. I seem to remember my “come on Mo!” did the trick for Mr Farah in the London 2012 10,000 metres final, for instance. And I believe I once loudly admonished a referee who failed to give a penalty to West Ham, although this advice was patently ignored. A memory is coming through. An old compadre from The Sun newspaper, Colin Hart, combating a case of over-eager presenteeism in one of his younger colleagues with a single comment - “We’re

www.insidethegames.biz

not here to watch it, we’re here to report it.” That aphorism will come into its own in Tokyo if the “playbook” indications are anything to go by, with all press conferences being made available online via “dedicated platforms” to allow for live question and answer sessions. It has been happening like that for a year now at events such as the London Marathon and assorted global sports conferences. It makes sense. But when you are actually present at an event it is another dislocation that makes one begin to question what exactly is the purpose of being there. The press - in common with athletes and International Federation and technical officials - have also been banned from visiting tourist areas, shops, restaurants, bars and gyms, and will be prevented from using public transport “unless given permission”. Understandable and prudent, although it puts one in mind of the A.A. Milne poem Disobedience - “You must never go down, to the end of the town, without consulting me”. Other than that, as they say, suit yourself. While knowing that a positive COVID test could see you “isolated in a Governmentapproved facility” and acknowledging that you “agree to attend at your own risk”. Right. Good. Understood. “Some of the measures described in this document might seem restrictive,” said the International Olympic Committee’s head of media operations Lucia Montanarella. “But you can be assured they aim to allow you to do your job, in a safe environment for you, for the athletes and for the people of Japan.” Fine. Just don’t try wrapping it up as “play”. Then again, there has been a different kind of playbook evident within the last year since the pandemic began to blot out the sky like the vast alien craft in Independence Day. Who can forget, for example, the rich vein of classics produced by former Tokyo 2020 President Yoshirō Mori? Some will argue that his confident sound bites about the Games last year - “No Matter What Happens” and

Yoshirō Mori has provided some memorable sound bites in the build-up to Tokyo 2020. Photo: Getty Images

“Must for Humanity” - will never be topped. But that broad theme of determination was sublimely restated as 2020 turned to 2021. Who can ever forget the lyricism of “Spring Will Always Come” or the blatant power chord of “Proceed as Planned?” More recently, of course, after the thunderous Japanese Government riff-riot “Absolutely No Truth”, Mori’s oeuvre has undergone a profound shift, with the rising frustration of “So Much Time” and “Difficulty Finishing” giving way to the plaintive honesty of “Deeply Sorry”. Meanwhile, the Bach Man has gone into overdrive. The IOC President’s early 2021 thrash metal releases such as “No Reason Whatsoever” and “No Plan B” offered clear echoes of his never-to-be-forgotten gig in March of last year, just days before the Tokyo Games were postponed, when he rocked a world audience with the announcement: “I can tell you in the meeting of the IOC Executive Board neither the word ‘cancellation’ nor the word ‘postponement’ was mentioned.” The mood has since changed, however, with the wistful, even reproachful vibe of “Hurtful”. But in moving on from that emotional low, Bach - whose new, shaggy hairstyle hints at his reaching towards a younger, hipper audience - has embraced a greater sense of confidence that is a world away from the early electronic experimentation of “Agenda 2020” or the tentative irony of “New Normal”. Bach’s Beijing 2022 playbook is already hinting at new certainties, most notably the plangent “Almost a Miracle” and the deeply comforting “Safe and Secure”. And there is surely more to come…

The No.1 Olympic news website in the world

Who’s looking at YOUR BRAND?

Sports decision-makers read

The insidethegames.biz Magazine.

Place your ad to

Engage Influencers Who Matter. Contact advertising@insidethegames.biz www.facebook.com/insidethegames

@insidethegames Contact us NOW to book your slot.