In Tokyo, a lonelier Olympics awaits as families watch from afar
Michael Phelps reached for his mother鈥檚 hand through a chainlink fence near the pool. The 19-year-old swimmer had just won his first Olympic medal 鈥撀爂old, of course 鈥撀燼t the 2004 Athens Games, and he wanted to share it with the woman who raised him on her own.
That kind of moment between loved ones won鈥檛 be happening at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics.
No spectators 鈥撀爈ocal or foreign 鈥撀爓ill be allowed at the vast majority of venues, where athletes will hang medals around their own necks to protect against spreading the coronavirus. No handshakes or hugs on the podium, either.
鈥淚 like to feed off of the crowd,鈥� defending all-around champion gymnast Simone Biles said, 鈥渟o I鈥檓 a little bit worried about how I鈥檒l do under those circumstances.鈥�
Catching sight of familiar faces during competition can bolster an athlete on a big stage. It helped Matthew Centrowitz at the United States track trials, where fans were allowed.
鈥淪eeing my family in the crowd and hearing them gave me a little sense of comfort, and what I needed to hear and see to calm my nerves a little bit,鈥� said Mr. Centrowitz, the defending Olympic 1,500-meter champion.
The youngest athlete on the U.S. team in Tokyo calls it 鈥渨eird鈥� that her family won鈥檛 be in the stands.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e usually at all my meets,鈥� said Katie Grimes, a 15-year-old swimmer from Las Vegas.
Veteran athletes may find themselves helping to calm and encourage their younger teammates.
鈥淚 hope us older swimmers can show them the ropes a little bit and create that family environment,鈥� three-time Olympian Katie Ledecky said. 鈥淲e will make sure we stay in touch with our families and keep them connected to what we鈥檙e doing.鈥�
The decision to prohibit fans was made for health and safety concerns. The Games will be held during a state of emergency in Tokyo, with rising coronavirus infections in a country where 16.8% of the population is fully vaccinated. Variant strains of the coronavirus are emerging around the world, too.
Those reaction shots of excited, shocked or crying family members in the stands? Forget it. Singing, chanting, and cheering among flag-waving fans at the venues? TV producers will have to look elsewhere. Mr. Phelps鈥� son, Boomer, who was 3 months old at the time, became an adorable sight at the Olympic pool in 2016. No kids allowed this time.
The people who raised them, comforted them, financed them, and encouraged them through injury and defeat will have to be content to keep up with their athletes through calls, texts, and video chats, when they鈥檙e not watching the competition on various devices.
鈥淪he said, 鈥極n TV, I can see it better anyway,鈥欌�� Dutch swimmer Kira Toussaint said of her mother, Jolanda de Rover, a gold medalist swimmer at the 1984 Olympics.
Building support and camaraderie among athletes who usually compete individually has taken on new importance for coaches during the pandemic. They鈥檙e turning to veterans to inform and reassure younger first-timers.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to have to rely on each other a lot more than we would have to if our loved ones were able to come to Tokyo to watch,鈥� said Lindsay Mintenko, national team director for the American swimmers. 鈥淭he bond might be stronger because we don鈥檛 have that outlet.鈥�
American high jumper Vashti Cunningham will have her coach, Randall Cunningham, who is also her father, on hand. But she鈥檒l be missing the rest of the family.
鈥淚t just feels good to go and eat with them, for them to be at the Bible studies with me, just everything, going to the stores,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut it doesn鈥檛 really matter to me if there are fans or not. I鈥檓 just really excited to go out there and jump. I do wish that our families could come and watch, though.鈥�
American discus thrower Mason Finley is prepared to hunker down at the athletes village with his Nintendo Switch for endless gaming while his pregnant wife and two dogs wait at home.
鈥淚鈥檓 just going to kind of nest in there and stay entertained,鈥� he said.
Some athletes鈥� families will host watch parties back home. Ms. Biles鈥� mother, Nellie, won鈥檛 attend.
鈥淚 will be home watching gymnastics by myself,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 just get too nervous.鈥�
The family of swimmer Chad le Clos is flying to the U.S. to watch on TV because the competition will air at 3 a.m. in their native South Africa.
鈥淚t must be terrible to watch me at 3 in the morning,鈥� Mr. le Clos said. 鈥淭hen what do you do afterwards?鈥�
Caeleb Dressel, the world鈥檚 dominant male swimmer, barely gets to see, let alone spend time with his wife and family at major meets.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not something I鈥檓 dependent on,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 know they will be back home and you can feel that energy, and I can text or FaceTime whenever I need to.鈥�
Nellie Biles and her husband run a gymnastics training center in Spring, Texas, so she knows about COVID-19 protocols and restrictions. Still, she thinks having spectators in the 12,000-seat venue in Tokyo would have worked.
鈥淲e could social distance and not see each other. That鈥檚 how huge their complex is, their venues are,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard for me to understand that they cannot make accommodations. Of course, that鈥檚 just me being selfish. This will be one gymnastics event that I will never forget because I will not be present.鈥�
This story was reported by The Associated Press.聽AP Sports Writers Andrew Dampf, Pat Graham, and Will Graves contributed to this report.
