Wednesday mornings.

In half an hour the game of the Germans begins in the huge, deserted Saitama Super Arena.

One cannot understand one's own word.

We actually signed up for basketball.

Is that the concert hall?

The beat booms out of the speakers.

Oh yes, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had promised off-screen support.

Would be bland, without a spectator.

Anno Hecker

Responsible editor for sports.

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IOC President Thomas Bach does not want to "leave the athletes alone".

There was talk of an activated, adapted background noise.

Applause, screeching, murmuring, the cheering in the choir, the indignation of the masses from the can at the given time.

Where there is nothing, we play something.

Nothing easier than that. The roar increases.

“What can you say?” Shouts the singer from above.

Nothing at all.

Only that: So far, hardly anything could be heard of the atmosphere at the push of a button.

Not in hockey, nor background noise in basketball between Iran and the USA, not in canoe slalom, 3 × 3, fencing, rugby, softball.

When shooting, only the whipping of the shots echoed.

What a blessing.

Sport is also a listening experience.

Shut up, now it's about gold!

Eyes closed, ears pricked up: the dribbling of the ball, the snorting of the horses, the whirring of the wheels, the impact, the teeing off, the immersion of the body, the groaning and moaning of the athletes. Of course, spectators cannot be replaced by anything, except by spectators. But being alone has something to offer. In the hockey stadium, the proximity among Canadians in the heat of the moment - or their differences.

The sharp cry of redemption from canoe Olympic champion Ricarda Funk at the finish spreads like a wave of joy over the canal system.

Hearts are gripped by the sobs of a lost Briton.

And the wonderful beach volleyball player tries to talk to herself before the impending failure, in a sense like this: “Pull yourself together, you can do it better!” The closeness to one another, the athlete to himself can be heard.

Even before Corona, it was drowned out by trickling noise.

So that the audience feels entertained.

Sometimes the level in sports halls has become so high that the inclined fan turns to personal dimming: ear plugs.

That brings something.

The journey back to the time of silent films without subtitles.

Hear no more, just see.

Some athletes want that these days.

Silencing the little man in the ear, this eternally annoying doubter who absolutely wants to get rid of something seconds before the start: Shut up, now it's about gold! Ricarda Funk succeeded in doing this. She switched off everyone around her in her head and found her way to Olympus in the silence. It would be nice if there were such a switch for everyone after Corona, as soon as the noise starts again. As in the quiet place in the press center. At the push of a button, the chirping bird is silent and with it the rustling brook.