Most of the 2021 Olympic Games are played without the presence of an audience.
However, the organization leaves the delegations to come in large numbers to support the athletes.
Even volunteers sometimes join in the fun, especially judo.
From our special envoys in Tokyo,
Two hours of taxi to disembowel with a Swiss army knife the forest of the province of Izu to arrive at the VTT. The ride is a bit long, but it was worth it, less for the result of the French, than for the decor. A sublime course on the hillside, and above all, the only competition of the Olympics (or almost) WITH THE PUBLIC. Four thousand people on Monday for the boys, hardly less the next day for the girls. Japanese families in full swing, connected with the atmosphere of this old amusement park with rides rusted by time.
The kids wear red or blue "Japan" swimsuits, and they squeal loudly in their ears when volunteers dressed as ghost hunters in
Ghostbusters
spray them at the entrance to the site.
Around the finish line, and everywhere on the course, it is the excitement.
Jolanta Neff, winner in the girls, even cried at a press conference, when a Swedish colleague launched her on the presence of the public.
“I love doing shows for people.
There, it was crazy.
The atmosphere, the cheering audience, the applause…, lists the Swiss woman.
This race was very different with spectators, it represents a lot of things for me, who had not run in front of people since 2019. I really want to thank everyone in the organization who made this possible.
"
Agbegnenou supported by almost the entire French judo team
The most relaxed atmosphere of the Games with skateboarding, for what we have seen.
A small world where each competitor knows each other, encourages each other before each passage, checks each other after having posed a complicated trick.
The delegations in the stands were in the same spirit: everyone talks, laughs and encourages together because the riders need this energy.
Elsewhere, it has not always been the joke of the century, but let's recognize the host country as a quality. If the volunteers scattered around are sometimes annoying when they cling to protocols established in spite of all logic, they nevertheless try to soften the fear of being behind closed doors. We realized this the first time to cover Luka Mkheidze's surprise medal in judo. In the stands, several dozen people representing several delegations howl as their compatriot passes, sometimes with the flags of their countries.
On the French side, we can distinguish among others Shirine Boukli, eliminated in the morning, Alex Clerget, the best friend, and even Orlando Cazorla the sparring, who explains to us quickly on the phone that he was able to reboost the future first medalist of the Blues in the room. of rest after his interminable semi-final lost to the golden score.
“There, today, they came relatively easily in the room, then blows Daniel Fernandes, the coach of Mkheidze.
There are no specific instructions, it was spontaneous.
Afterwards, bringing positive vibes is a good thing, but it shouldn't be a parade either ”.
For the triumph of Clarisse Agbegnenou, they are however almost all there, authorized to remain in Japan thanks to the competition by team envisaged at the end of the week.
Borel first fan with the épée
In the soulless hangar reserved for fencing, in the suburbs of Tokyo, the positive waves are transformed squarely into decisive advice for Romain Cannone, the first tricolor gold medal in the épée. "Do not go in the middle of the track, active, active, put the rhythm back", Yannick Bordel and Alexandre Bardenet, are on fire a few meters behind the referees, like all the coaches of the Blues. “They know I'm going to make sausages [headless shots] so they're here to call me to order,” Cannone smiled after the win. And then in fencing these are useful tips, I managed to apply them quickly and find solutions to certain shooters that I might not have found on my own. The next day, sabers and foils made an incredible noise during the match between Lefort and Garozzo.As the Italians respond with monstrous fooooooooooorzaaaaaa, it almost gives two kopounets that respond to each other.
And when Manon Brunet wins the bronze match at the end of the day, it's Makuharena atmosphere in the stands. “I heard them crazy, as soon as I entered the track. It feels good to have the girlfriends. We are used to playing without an audience, but we have our team, we do with that all the time, and it's stronger than anything in the end. A little less, all the same, than the Aquatics Center of Tokyo, where the law of the number makes it possible to round up a mad world. We may have counted between 600 to 700 swimmers / staff / officials in the stands for the first day of the finals, with a clear American sound domination, in a sport where the USA team picks up a medal every three minutes on average. A happy surprise for the followers, less for the swimmers, quite insensitive to background noise on the whole.
“Obviously I prefer when the stands are full,” explains Dressel in
L'Equipe
.
I love the show, nourishing myself with the energy that emanates from a crowd that shouts and applauds you.
But when you dive, it all goes out.
Humans are the worst swimmers in the world, and it's not the encouragement that makes me go faster.
"
The hairs on the day of the Abe siblings
The biggest thrill, if we had to establish a classification, undoubtedly came from the Budokan, last Sunday, before the final of the Japanese Uta Abe against Amandine Buchard.
The army of volunteers, extremely discreet until then (as everywhere) was allowed to sit in the stands to admire the local star.
Japanese journalists also struggled to keep calm, and during the 20 seconds of Buchard's immobilization, a sweet little madness took hold.
Our file on the Tokyo Games
In the mixed zone, then, they lined up to take a photo with her, an incredible departure from the protocol while the journalists had to give their dictaphones to interview the athletes two meters away in the same place.
And when brother Hifumi also won a little later, same thing.
A national pride to which it is difficult to remain indifferent.
We can hardly imagine what it would have been like with 11,000 people in the arena
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