AMMAN — Leaving the
Olympics can be a mishmash of mixed feelings; there is the pride or devastation
of winning or losing a competition, and mixed emotions of leaving other
athletes and traveling home to see family, friends, and country.
اضافة اعلان
As Japan grappled with
escalating numbers of COVID-19 cases, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were highly
constrained by pandemic precautions and those departures from the norm were
both logistically and emotionally very tough for the Japanese government.
To safeguard athletes,
coaches, and Olympics personnel against
COVID-19 and the Delta variant, a
number of limitations were imposed.
One of the rules
required that athletes and team officials gathered their belongings and returned
home within 48 hours after their competition ended.
“I remember during the
Games, the number of coronavirus cases skyrocketed, however, the comparatively
low number of cases among Olympic athletes, as well as the fact that cases
began to rise before most of us arrived in Tokyo, suggests that the Delta
variant is to blame rather than the inflow of athletes from all over the world,”
Jordanian boxing champ Zeyad Ishaish said of the International Olympic
Committee’s efforts.
“Every athlete felt
the heavy pressure of the restrictions but that didn’t take the joy out of
being in the Olympics for the first time,” he added.
“Having my brother Hussein
as my roommate is a privilege that I always enjoy whenever we are in the same
competition, and meeting athletes from other countries from all over the world
with different cultures is my favorite part of representing my country at
international events.”
Athletes were tested
on a regular basis in Tokyo, and they had to pass a COVID-19 test to board
their flight back to their home countries.
The Jordan Olympics
Committee had to manage ever-changing restrictions concerning what kind of
testing players were required to go through when leaving Tokyo during the Games
as athletes were returning home.
“I couldn’t count how
many times I had to go through COVID-19 tests in Tokyo if my life depended on
it.” Ishaish said.
However, despite all
the precautions and rules, the Olympics boxer said the experience was the ‘most
special and honoring in my career’.
“I don’t think I will
ever forget how kind and respectful the Japanese people treated us athletes,
while we were on the bus to the Olympic village they were cheering and taking
pictures, I can only imagine how nice it would’ve felt to have those fans in
the arena.”
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