Anyone who expected castrated Olympic Games without any human contact because of the strict corona rules in Japan was wrong.

In the sports halls and at the competition venues there are officials, trainers and fellow athletes from the same team who cheer on the athletes.

They are not limited to clapping, as the rule book provides, but sometimes cheering loudly.

The human component cannot be completely eliminated in sport.

After the competition, coaches hug losers and winners, with or without a mask.

On the podiums, the successful athletes have to wear the medals themselves to protect themselves against corona.

But when it comes to the photographer's smile, the masks fall quickly.

Patrick Welter

Correspondent for business and politics in Japan, based in Tokyo.

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There is a certain laxity in dealing with the Corona rules, which gives the competitions a humane note despite the lack of spectators.

Even the IOC has an understanding: It admonished the athletes that they always have to wear a mask outside of competitions.

It is not a nice gesture, but a duty, says IOC spokesman Mark Adams.

But since Sunday it is now allowed to take off the mask on the podium for a winning photo for up to thirty seconds.

The laxity in dealing with the rule goes beyond the athletes.

Luxury limousines belonging to a national NOK were parked in the fine Ginza shopping district on Monday afternoon because the representatives were doing their shopping.

Does that correspond to the idea of ​​minimizing contact with the population during the games?

Closer to the competitions, the President of the National Olympic Committee, Yasuhiro Yamashita, was photographed talking to other observers without a mask in the Budokan judo hall over the weekend. IOC President Thomas Bach showed how it can be done more correctly on Monday. On the sidelines of the judo competition, he chatted in the audience with the gold medalist from the previous day, the Japanese Uta Abe. Bach and the translator wore masks, Abe two masks on top of each other, as some Japanese like. But while keeping his distance, Bach showed that he too did not know the rulebook. He put his heads together closely with Abe and the translator to understand each other despite the loud music. It was clearly not two meters away from athletes, as the rule book also prescribes for officials.Does this rule only apply to athletes before their competition?

On Monday, the organizers sent a warning to the Covid watchdogs of the teams and other involved parties to remind all participants of the mask requirement. After several warnings, individual participants in the games were withdrawn for one day after they repeatedly disregarded the anti-corona rules. The organizers do not publish details of these processes.

On Monday, the organizers reported 16 more Covid infections around the games, including three athletes. There have been a total of 153 corona cases among participants and Japanese employees as well as service providers since the beginning of July. 74 of them are foreigners. So far, there are more than 240,000 tests carried out by the Olympians on entry and during their stay in Japan. Meanwhile, the corona numbers continue to rise in the capital Tokyo. 1429 new infections were counted on Monday, more than ever on a Monday. The seven-day incidence has now reached almost 80. On the routes of outdoor competitions such as cycling or triathlon, viewers keep gathering, although the organizers recommend watching the sporting events on television. Warn professionalsthat these crowds will contribute to the spread of the virus in the capital.