At the Tokyo Olympics, which was inseparable from the news of the new coronavirus, one volleyball player in a mask became a hot topic.


Lucas Saatkamp of the men's Brazil national team.


I asked him why he never took off his mask before and during the match, albeit to prevent infection.

I noticed it on July 26th.

It was when I finished covering the Japanese game and was checking the next game sideways while writing the manuscript in the press room.



"I'm wearing a mask !?" One of the



Brazilian players was playing with a black mask on.

If you look closely, it is fixed with a plastic belt so that it will not shift even if it moves violently.



At this Olympic Games, as a countermeasure against infection with the new coronavirus, athletes and related parties were required to wear masks in principle, but I have never seen athletes who play with masks on. ..

Brazil national team Sartkamp was playing in a mask.

A 35-year-old veteran, he was one of the gold medal members of the previous Rio de Janeiro Games, which was held in his home country.



"Why play with the mask on?" Asked directly.

Then Sartkamp, ​​who is over 2 meters tall, kindly replied:



"Everything is for the family, to protect the family."



Sartkamp lives with his wife Beatrice, his eldest son, Teokun, and his eldest daughter, Maya, who was born in June. ..



"My family gives me the love I need when I get home and always supports me in both fun and difficult times. Theo follows me in volleyball practice and Maya is very friendly. It seemed



really happy to say so.


It was January that the shadow of the new coronavirus sneaked into the life with the family.

Sartkamp was infected.



Fortunately, the only symptoms were low-grade fever and headache, but at that time, Beatrice had Maya in her tummy and her eldest son, Teokun, had a lung disease, so infection control was essential to protect her family. It is said that he became strongly aware of it.



And Sartkamp came to wear a mask.



Always wear a mask when taking a meal or shower, except when sleeping on it.

During the game, I only remove it when I rehydrate and wipe the sweat on my face with a towel.

For family and teammates

When asked if it would affect the play of repeated violent movements such as jumping many times to block the opponent's spikes, he said, "Unlike soccer, you don't run long distances and wearing a mask is not a big problem." It was a face.



He said he wasn't wearing a mask because he wanted to be a role model for someone, but that he thought about what he could do for his family and teammates.

On August 7th, I visited the venue to cover the final match of the Brazilian national team, the 3rd place playoff.

The match was a close match with Argentina in a full set.


Sartkamp pulled the team with an astonishing decision rate to decide 14 of the 19 tosses he had given, but unfortunately he lost the bid and couldn't reach the medal.



After the match, I called out and smiled, "I have nothing I can report to my family and I can give, but when I return to Brazil, I want to say,'Thank you for always taking care of me.'" The Sartkamp player who showed me.



The expression under the mask seemed to return to the face of his father, who wanted to live with his family in peace as soon as possible.