Road to Recovery: Athletes Return to Training

(ATR) Argentina’s Olympic athletes will be able to return to training outside their homes.

"We already have protocols for them to train again and if the Olympic Games are held, we can send our representatives in the best conditions," Argentina president Alberto Fernandez told TyC Sports.

There are 143 athletes who have qualified for the postponed Tokyo Games while others remain hopeful of securing a place in the Argentina team. Fernandez says the latter group of athletes will also soon be able to start training.

He adds that individual athletes will likely be able to resume training before the team sports.

So far, few details have been revealed, with Fernandez telling TyC Sports the idea of the protocols is "not to write down on paper the ideal mode of operation, but rather to fulfill it."

Athletes will be required to register on a mobile phone app and update their health status. They will also be allowed to travel to provinces within the country where sporting activities are allowed. The national training center in Buenos Aires remains closed since the capital is one of the areas hardest hit by Covid-19.

Argentina imposed a nationwide shutdown on March 20. The government began loosening restrictions to some parts of the country on May 11. Last week, a mandatory lockdown of Buenos Aires and other areas with a high concentration of infections was extended for three weeks until June 28.

Cyprus Olympic Team Athletes Back in Training

Almost all Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted in Cyprus, and the country’s Olympic athletes are already starting to train again.

Their regular training schedule for Tokyo 2020 was shut down for 60 days due to quarantine measures in Cyprus.

During the shutdown, the Cyprus NOC provided them with home training equipment and financial support through Olympic Solidarity and its sponsorship program "Adopt an Athlete on the Road to Tokyo."

Cyprus is expected to send a team of around 15 athletes in six or seven sports to Tokyo.

USOPC to Reopen Training Centers

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee plans to reopen its training centers but not every athlete will be happy with the result.

According to The New York Times, the safety guidelines to reopen the centers will mean only a limited number of athletes will be able to use them. The USOPC wants that to include its most elite athletes.

The result is that a handful of athletes who have been living at the training centers for months will be evicted to make room.

Normally, hundreds of athletes live and train at the facilities. Initially, the Times reports the plan is for as few as 15 to be the limit for the reopening. Those chosen will have to undergo coronavirus testing when they arrive and would be put under quarantine for up to 14 days should they test positive. They would also have to agree to stay at the training center with only quick trips to a pharmacy or grocery store allowed.

France, Germany Raise Money for Sports Clubs

National sports organizations in both France and Germany are working to help limit the effect of COVID-19 on sports clubs.

The French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF), the French Paralympic and Sports Committee (CPSF) and the country’s Ministry of Sport have initiated a fundraising campaign called "Soutiens ton club" ("Support your club").

The platform, associated with the French Sports Foundation, allows donations to be tax deductible for individuals and businesses. People can donate to an amateur club at their own discretion, but a 10 percent tax will be redistributed to those associations that are deemed most in need based on a set of objective criteria.

The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) has launched a "Support Your Sport" campaign that aims to provide aid to about 90,000 German sports clubs during the pandemic.

The DOSB is calling for athletes to look back and give back to the clubs where they started. Athletes involved include Athens 2004 handball silver medalist Stefan Kretzschmar and six-time tennis Grand Slam champion Boris Becker.

The DOSB in March launched a €1 million ($1.1 million) fund to support the confederation’s member organizations and continue its grassroots programs.

Written by Gerard Farek

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