The mood surrounding the Olympic Games is wavering: while the voices of the Japanese people and some politicians paint a gloomy picture of the implementation, the Olympic organizers and the national Olympic federations are still confident - the 2021 Olympics will take place! Despite this confidence, cancelation is not yet off the table. If the Olympic Games do take place, the spectator stands will probably be sparsely filled to empty, and not just on July 26 and 27 when the mountain bikers do their laps.

Targeted through the season

Ralph Näf is clear about what these scenarios would mean: "The Olympics are happening for us!" With Mathias Flückiger and Alessandra Keller, the owner of the "Thömus RN Swiss Bike Team" has two potential Olympic candidates in his team. "We are tackling the season and preparations exactly as planned. With a targeted focus, it's easier to have a good season than if we take it month by month."

Thomas Frischknecht, himself an Olympic medal winner and team boss of the "Scott-Sram MTB Racing Team" with Nino Schurter and Kate Courtney, is also pragmatic and positive: "Of course there is a chance that the Olympic Games will still be canceled. But if Albstadt holds the World Cup opener in the near future under the current circumstances, I see no reason why this shouldn't be possible in Tokyo under all these protective measures. My riders also believe it will go ahead."

Fr Frischknecht sees a worst-case cancellation as a negative event that athletes generally know how to deal with, similar to illness or injury. Before and after this, it is important to focus on the sporting goals.

"We no longer absolutely need the Olympics."

Although Thomas Frischknecht and Ralph Näf believe the event will go ahead, if it were to be canceled, it would be particularly bad for the athletes. "The riders work long and meticulously towards such a goal, because for them the Olympics is the big dream," describes Frischknecht. Näf adds: "For the athletes, the emotional damage would be huge. Just taking part in the Olympic Games is a huge thing. Winning a medal or title has an eternal value for athletes."

However, a cancellation is no drama for the sport of mountain biking: "Mountain biking has become so popular in recent years that we can now manage without this platform," Näf continues. He refers to the international races at the start of the season, which were much better attended than in other years. The reach via the available media has also increased significantly.

The former mountain bike pro cites the latter as the key to keeping sponsors happy even without the Olympics: "Thanks to media reports, team videos, blogs and social media, we can present our sponsors very well. In addition, the advertising impact during the Olympic Games for team sponsors is very limited to non-existent anyway."

Frischknecht agrees with this: "Sure, the Olympic Games have a strong impact. But it's just a single race, which is difficult for team sponsors to use in terms of advertising for a long time. It is at least as important for our sponsors and the athletes that the World Cup takes place in a regular setting again."

No spectators, no emotions

If the 2021 Olympic Games take place in Tokyo, Schurter, Flückiger, Neff and co. will probably have to make do with the cheers of their coaches. The organizers are not ruling out competitions with spectators at this point. At the very least, access is expected to be limited to the vaccinated Japanese population.

"We are already used to riding races without spectators," says Näf pragmatically. Despite sporting optimism and pragmatism, whether with few or no fans, the athletes can only hope that the Olympic Games will take place. And that they will be remembered positively despite the protective measures!

Sources
dw.com/olympia-2021-in-tokio-abschied-auf-raten
sueddeutsche.de/sport/olympische-spiele
sueddeutsche.de/sport/olympia-tokio-corona