Everybody misses spectators at Olympics - Saylor
MBABANE – There can never be a substitute for human presence in the Olympic Games.
Eswatini’s Olympic Games official Horst Saylor said the ninth edition of the ongoing Olympic Games held in Tokyo was a far cry from the previous eight edition she has attended due to the absence of spectators. Saylor said spectators played a major role in creating the ambiance of the ‘ King of all sporting events’ and the empty arenas resulting from the outbreak of COVID- 19 was an abnormal occurrences in the history of Olympic Games.
Officiate
Say lorw as independently invited to officiate the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and despite Eswatini being represented, the former Eswatini Weightlifting Association’s ( EWA) President lamented being barred from visiting the Eswatini team in their Olympic village due to strict COVID- 19 restrictions.
“We all know that millions of people are watching around t he globe but everybody misses spectators. The cheering, whistling, applauding, the atmosphere of human presence; there is never a substitute for that ,” said Saylor.
He further said the progress of the Olympic Games was centered on COVID- 19.
“We are tested everyday. We are not allowed to mix with people from outside the Games. No sightseeing or socialising. I would like to visit our team in the Olympic village but that is a totally no- go- area,” said Saylor.
Due to the rife positive COVID- 19 cases and recorded deaths, about 80 per cent of the Japanese community was against the staging of the Olympic Games in their country. The previous edition of Olympic Games was held i n Brazil – Rio de Janeiro and was watched by thousands of spectators on the ground.