‘This felt like a normal Olympics'

Andrew Nicholson reports on his Tokyo experience coaching the Swiss team

- Pippa Roome

CONGRATULATIONS to the Japanese for putting on a very good Olympics under such difficult circumstances. The only thing it lacked were the crowds; in every other aspect, it felt just like a “normal” Olympic Games.

From the moment I arrived, as part of a delegation from a nation – in my case the Swiss – you were made to feel part of it all. We were escorted through the Covid testing areas – it was a lot of walking, but I think that was deliberate as by the time we got to the end, the results were ready and we could get straight on the bus to the Olympic Village, which itself was very busy and well-organised.

All we saw of Tokyo was through the bus windows, but that’s often the case anyway once you’re in the Olympic system.

The Equestrian Park was beautiful, and the main stadium was one of the nicest I’ve seen. Even though the stands were empty, it felt like a very special arena. It was a shame there weren’t spectators there, but I did wonder, when we got to the cross-country, where the organisers would have put them anyway? It was a small area.