How the Blitzboks will be living in the Tokyo Olympic Village

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The Blitzboks departed for the Tokyo Olympic Games on Monday and will be entering the Olympic Village following a pre-tournament camp in Kagoshima from 14 to 23 July.

The Blitzboks – playing as Team South Africa – will begin their Olympic tournament on 26 July against Olympic debutants Ireland, who secured the final spot thanks to a victory over France in the World Rugby Sevens Repechage, before facing Kenya in the final game of day one.

Neil Powell’s team will then renew their rivalry with the USA in their final pool match on 27 July.

Here’s what a typical day might look like for the team at Tokyo 2020’s waterside mini city:

6:30am

The village is built to sleep up to 18,000 Olympians, coaches and officials. They should wake up refreshed, despite Tokyo’s 4:40am sunrise, thanks to thick blackout curtains.

As in many Japanese homes, space is limited, however – single rooms measure just nine square metres (100 square feet), and doubles 12 square metres.

The beds and partition walls are made from sturdy recyclable cardboard, to be cleared away after the Games when the 21 towers are turned into luxury homes. Perhaps not so good if your neighbour snores, however …

7:00am

Time for a daily coronavirus test – a requirement for everyone staying in the village. They will administer the saliva antigen tests themselves and then submit them for processing.

A positive result and a second positive on a more accurate PCR test mean a trip to the fever clinic, a small prefab building in the centre of the village.

At the clinic, a third test determines if you are out of the Games and need to isolate or go to hospital.

7:30am

Forgetting to wear a mask can be easy, especially early in the morning – but they are mandatory in the village, except when sleeping and eating.

On the way to get breakfast, athletes can check an app that shows how crowded communal areas are, including the two floors of the vast 3,000-seat canteen.

8:00am

Village residents are asked to eat alone to avoid spreading potentially contagious droplets. Each seat is screened off with plexiglass.

There’s an immense selection of food, with traditional Japanese cuisine highlighted. Just about every dietary preference is catered to – vegetarian, halal, gluten free – with nutritional values clearly indicated.

9:00am

The world’s top sportsmen and women can train at a huge gym with 600 cardio and weight-training machines.

Masks are mandatory even when getting sweaty, and even though the gym machines are cleaned frequently, users are recommended to disinfect them before they start.

11:00am

Public transport and walks outside the village are forbidden, so athletes must take dedicated buses from the site – built on reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay – to competition venues or training centres.

5:00pm

On their return to the village, Olympic teams can stop off at the ‘Village Plaza’, a wooden annex incorporating traditional Japanese construction techniques.

Inside are ATMs, cleaning services, a hairdresser and a cafe, among other conveniences – giving athletes the chance to buy a souvenir, even though sightseeing is off the cards.

7:00pm

It’s getting dark already. Back at the village, tired athletes can take one of the 17 self-driving shuttles, which circulate the site 24 hours a day, back to their block.

Each one can seat 19 passengers and there’s a human operator on board just in case.

8:00pm

After dinner, athletes aren’t obliged to stay cooped up in their rooms. The Village recreation centre beckons, with Nintendo consoles and spaces to relax, or they can wander around the waterside park.

Having a post-dinner beer al fresco isn’t an option, though, as alcohol is forbidden in groups and in public areas.

Violations of any rules will be punished, organisers have said – with disqualification from the Games a possibility.

10:00pm

Competitors aren’t allowed to bring family members with them to the Games. But, before bed, they can chat with loved ones back home using free wifi.

© Agence France-Presse

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Dylan Jack