Currently, approximately 400 athletes and support staff train at the center (Special arrangement)
CHENNAI: The last leg of the preparation is like Act IV of a five-act play. You know where the play is going but still wait patiently for the climax, lest there be a late twist. You know almost all the main characters. Intrigues and plots are slowly unravelled as the hero makes that last attempt to become immortal.
Just before a big event, athletes face a similar dilemma. Training is almost over. They know what to expect, but still need to prepare for the finish.
Living in a happy bubble. Last minute adjustments if necessary. Getting used to the circumstances and getting all the help to increase self-confidence and stay positive.
Looking for better training facilities for the 2024 Olympics is a calling that athletes will never give up. It is for this reason that training centers like Sportcampus, Saar (Germany), have grown in stature. It meets almost all requirements. The proximity to Paris, the similar weather conditions and the easy means of transportation have made this center one of the most sought after. The figures are also astonishing.
More than 400 athletes (and support staff) from 27 countries and five continents train there. There are several reasons for this. The centre’s chief operating and marketing officer, Johannes Kopkow, spoke about the centre and more during a Zoom interaction. He outlined how they have catered to the Indian boxers’ needs for a kitchen and a separate dining area. He also spoke about Neeraj, which caters to the diet of 400 athletes, and the facilities the centre offers.
“A big advantage is that we have everything in one place. You can sleep, you can eat, you can train, you have doctors, physiotherapists. Another advantage is that we are in Germany, which means that everything is organized and will work. And the third is that we are one hour and 45 minutes (by high-speed train) from Paris,” Kopkow said. Apart from the distance, the city is in the same time and climate zone, so it will be easy for athletes to acclimatize after arriving in Paris.
Kopkow said he currently has around 400 athletes training at his facility. “We have around 400 guests from 27 different countries and five continents. We have the entire Nigerian national team with us (except their women’s football team). We have a big international boxing camp where boxers (in all weight classes) from many other countries (including India) are here. That’s the biggest camp we have here in one sport. Then we have Olympic medallists PV Sindhu and Neeraj Chopra (until July 7). The table tennis teams from different countries, including India, are here. We are hosting both flag bearers from India,” he said.
The COO said Neeraj is one of the most prominent athletes the campus has hosted after Patrick Franziska, the German international table tennis player and several Belgian athletes. The Tokyo Olympic gold medallist was at the centre in 2022 (before the Commonwealth Games which he missed due to injury). “He was the most famous athlete, but not the first or the last, but one of the well-known international faces,” Kopkow said. “We had Franziska and other Belgian athletes, but he (Neeraj) was the first when we thought that we should open the facility for not only national but also international athletes.”
Kopkow spoke about how the centre has provided Neeraj with an apartment for him and his support staff. He also spoke about Sindhu’s tent-like structure in her room where she sleeps (hypoxic chamber) and the bed that is outside.
Elaborating on the chef, the COO said that the Boxing Federation of India had asked for a separate kitchen so that they could prepare their meals.
“They said it would be good to bring a chef so that the boxers here can have the same food. So we gave them a space in the kitchen and another space where they can eat. I tasted the food and it wasn’t that spicy. The food was great. That makes it special and makes them feel welcome. We take care of everything so they can focus on what they are here for.”
Providing food for 400 athletes housed on campus also has its own challenges. The kitchen can provide food for up to 250 people.
Because the demand for food varies from country to country/athlete, they have caterers who arrange it. “We have caterers who provide international food. For example, we can’t give beef to Indian athletes. They need chicken or maybe lamb. While others need chicken and beef or steak. We always try to cater to the needs of the athletes. We also have athletes who need halal food. So we have an external caterer who provides the food outside the Sports Campus and we heat it up here and then we have a big buffet for everyone.”
“In the same way, we are trying to extend the times for serving food. We have shifts where athletes can come at different times because we can’t feed 400 people at a time. Food in the morning is from 6:00 to 9:30, for lunch it is from 11:30 to 14:30 and in the evening from 17:30 to 20:30. Athletes come in, eat and go back to training,” he said, “We still have about 250 people working at the Sports Campus. So for them we have our own chefs and our own big kitchen. Everyone can still eat in the same kitchen, plus our external guests from everywhere.”
Kopkow said they have a regeneration room with cold tubes, sauna and infrared cabin. “We have a big physiotherapy company called SportsMed. They have about 20 physiotherapists and sports coaches on their payroll. The former national team doctor of the German men’s soccer team, Professor Dr. Tim Mayer, is our neighbor (100m from our campus). He has all the contacts for medical needs. In the first week, one of your (Indian) boxers had problems and needed medical help. So she went there. We have a support system in Germany, which is one of the best in the world.”
Currently, countries such as Australia, Philippines, Mongolia, South Africa, Nigeria, United States, Canada, Germany, Finland, Norway and Belgium are training. The facility has gained popularity and because it is centrally located in Europe, it could become one of the most sought-after destinations for European competitions.
