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Frankfurt / Main (dpa) - A total of 730 athletes plus supervisors, officials and referees spread over four days under one hall roof: What seems unusual in Corona times takes place from Thursday to Sunday at the European Indoor Championships for athletes.
In Torun, Poland, the title fights are held with a strict hygiene concept.
50 German participants, including long jump world champion Malaika Mihambo, are there.
In Poland, the regulations state that a maximum of 150 athletes can be in one place at the same time.
Supervisors and employees are not counted.
"But there won't be that many in athletics, luckily we have no problem with that," assured Mateusz Bosiacki, press spokesman for the organizers, the German press agency.
He reckons that there will be around 40 or a maximum of 60 athletes in the hall at the same time.
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The German team arrives in cars.
"We want to minimize the risk of infection, this is the safest way for us," says Annett Stein, head coach of the German Athletics Association (DLV).
For their top athletes, the EM is "very, very important" - after all, it is the last international championship before the planned Olympic Games in Tokyo.
DLV aces like Mihambo, shot put medal candidate Christina Schwanitz or top runner Gesa Krause have long known the procedure with long journeys, tests and mask requirements (outside of the warm-up and the competition) from international meetings, like one in Torun in February as an EM dress rehearsal gave.
The German championships in Dortmund were also carried out with a similar concept and a total of 250 participants.
According to the DLV, not a single one of 1000 rapid tests was positive.
Spectators are of course not allowed.
Poland recently recorded an increase in the number of infections.
According to the Ministry of Health on Tuesday, there were 7,937 new infections within 24 hours.
During the same period, 216 people died associated with the virus.
Germany has classified the neighboring country with its 38 million inhabitants as a risk area.
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"There will not be a situation where athletes are accommodated together with referees and media representatives," said EM spokesman Bosiacki.
But it will definitely be the case that athletes from different countries live together in one hotel.
The top star of the event is the pole vault world record holder Armand Duplantis from Sweden.
Russian athletes are not included.
According to the national association Rusaf, the individual starting permits from the world association World Athletics could not be issued in time.
Since November 2015, Russia has been suspended because of the nationwide doping scandal and has only been allowed to send unencumbered and neutral athletes to international competitions and championships after testing by World Athletics.
The DLV team has high hopes for Mihambo.
The “Sportswoman of the Year” is waiting for her first seven-meter set this winter and wanted to “hit it hard again” in training before Torun.
For the 27-year-old from the LG Kurpfalz, the EM is an important test run with a view to Tokyo: "Only those who set maximum peaks in winter can access that in summer."
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© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210303-99-666297 / 2
Information about the European Indoor Championships
Press release with EM squad
DLV announcement on the hall DM
EM schedule