This archive report was first published on 9 July 2021.
With the Tokyo Olympics just two weeks away, organisers have been forced to make a difficult decision due to the surging domestic virus caseload. As a result, spectators will be barred from the majority of Olympic events, making the Games the first to take place largely behind closed doors.
This decision has come as a blow to athletes who will now compete in front of largely empty stadiums. For some, the news has proved a final straw, with Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios announcing that he would withdraw from the Games.
"The thought of playing in front of empty stadiums just doesn't sit right with me. It never has," Kyrgios said on social media. "I wouldn't want to take the opportunity away from a healthy Aussie athlete ready to represent the country."
Published on July 9, 2021, by AFP. Others, however, are taking a more positive approach, with some athletes admitting that a crowd-free stadium is far from what they had imagined when first dreaming of Olympic glory. "When we think of the Games, we think of the audience, the atmosphere, the supporters. It was what I wanted when I was little. It will certainly be a strange atmosphere," said French cyclist Guillaume Martin, who is set to compete in the men's individual road race in Tokyo. Despite the challenges, many athletes are taking advantage of the situation, with some even saying that the crowd-free environment could be an opportunity to perform at their best. "Our athletes have generally prepared with no spectators in mind, it was a specific part of their process around these Olympic Games," said New Zealand Olympic Committee team psychologist Kylie Wilson. "We've seen athletes recording (personal bests) without spectators and learning not to rely on the crowd to deliver their best performance."
