Dr@g0n Posted June 13, 2020 Posted June 13, 2020 Like every aspect of life, the sports industry - - has been badly affected by the coronavirus. On an individual level, however, the pandemic has also had a major impact on the vast majority of athletes. The lockdown restrictions across Europe have forced many of them to rethink both their careers and redefine professional futures and goals. Sports psychologist , co-author of the book , says the crisis has created, "a moment of uncertainty, with no real end in sight. We’ve seen athletes who’ve managed to do this, get organised, and others who have lost their bearings and had a little more difficulty staying focused.” The Olympic dream on hold With almost 100 international medals under his belt, including several European and World titles, Portuguese sprint canoeist Fernando Pimenta had his eyes set on the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. She stopped her career in 2017 to have a child. She slowly and steadily made her way back and 2020 was supposed to be her big come back year. Jeanne compares the crisis to “an injury”, adding: "at first we’re in denial a bit. At the beginning we’re sad or even angry. And then we have to accept it, and above all, do everything we can to get used to the new situation.” Explaining that she feels at her best right now, Jeanne admits: “it’s a bit frustrating to feel good and not be able to express yourself in a race Athletes in such sports are highly dependent on prize money and sponsorship. No competition means no prize money and, according to the nearly half of all companies in the sports sector have suffered anything from between a 50 to 90 percent loss in revenue. “There was a moment, when I saw that a lot of companies weren’t going to be able to hold on - that they would be forced to stop [their activity]… I thought that might be the case for the brands that support me,” says Jeanne. When not doing triathlon, Jeanne works as a translator and wants to become and mental coach for athletes, insisting that it's important to “have other strings to your bow”. Fortunately, for all three athletes, their sponsors have been keen to reassure them of their continued support throughout the pandemic. A shows that despite the crisis, 72 percent of brands plan to honour their sponsoring commitments. Strength through adversity The future of sports competition is still uncertain for many, but with lockdown restrictions easing across Europe, the best athletes are quickly adapting and looking forward to a post-Covid world. Fernando believes he thinks he’ll “come out stronger” from this period and still feels he'll get a chance to compete in 2020, even if it’s not the Olympics. Jeanne says that “if there are no races”, she'll work on her weaknesses and “try to progress to be ready for 2021”. As for Davide, he believes this pandemic will change the world, but “it’s not going to alter the athletes’ desire and passion to do what they love most.”
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