I HAVE a confession to make which will come as no surprise to most people, I have never been an elite athlete in my life, I have never trained to perform at the highest level and I have never put my body and soul into participating in an event which could be the pinnacle of my career.
I have immense admiration for those who do, those athletes who basically live eat and sleep their sport, in order to represent their country at the highest level and give everyone a “lift” through their achievements.
What does it take to be an elite athlete? Fitness and mental resilience, a calm and organised environment, a healthy lifestyle and when competing knowing that there are people in your corner, shouting for you and willing you to achieve your personal best.
Whilst all athletes who have been selected to represent Team GB at this year’s Olympic Games will have the best preparation possible to compete, they will not have that added oomph from their supporters, as they are part of the strangest Olympics in modern time.
With the countdown to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics looming ever closer we know the environment they will be competing in will be totally different from anything they have experienced in the past; but we will be there in spirit with them.
With the latest news that all fans have been banned from all venues, we can only hope that the knowledge that we will be watching them and supporting them from the comfort of our sofas, will spur on team GB.
There is also the added dimension of worry. It can’t be easy travelling halfway across the world to a country that has announced a state of emergency due to Covid. Something that none of them has ever had to contend with before.
This is a totally unique situation and may impact on the mental health of those who have waited so long for this particular moment.
With just under two weeks to go till the well published, rescheduled 2020 Olympics, it’s great to see the number of Scottish athletes who are participating in this event this year and even more astounding to read that for the first time there are more women than men in the team.
A safe journey and games to all involved, not just the athletes, knowing that we are proud of you already.
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