Kumamoto: Despite the one-year postponement, the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games will officially kick off in the capital of Japan, Tokyo in a week.
The Indonesian team which already arrived in Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture last Friday, received a warm welcome from the residents in Kumamoto during their stay over there as the team was preparing for the Olympics.
Indonesia’s World No. 7 men’s singles player, Jonatan Christie admitted he was impressed with how residents in Kumamoto treated their guests.
“The atmosphere in the training camp here is very pleasant,” said Christie a.k.a Jojo to Indonesian media.
“They really serve us very well. Everything is well prepared. So we can focus on training. We don’t have to think about other things,” continued Christie.
Jojo was very grateful for what Kumamoto has done for them throughout their stay in that area.
“Thank you to all involved for supporting the Indonesian team. Thank you for providing your best service. I’m really happy and enjoy it very much,” said Christie.
Meanwhile, Christie was a little uneasy as the COVID-19 pandemic has not gone away, making him and other members of the Indonesian team not able to move around and enjoy the area freely as they have to follow the health protocols implemented by the Japanese government.
Jojo was seeded seventh and was drawn into Group G at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, alongside World No. 172 Aram Mahmoud from the IOC Refugee Olympic Team and World No. 42 Loh Kean Yew from Singapore.
Looking at their career meeting records, Jojo had never met Mahmoud but was holding a 3-0 head-to-head advantage against Loh.
“Even though I had a 3-0 head-to-head lead against Loh Kean Yew, but he played very well in our last meeting. Therefore, from the start of the tournament, I have to treat every match like a final,” explained Christie.
Christie needed 65 minutes to see off Loh in their last meeting at the round of 32 of the YONEX Thailand Open on January 12, 2021. He was pushed to the limit by Loh before winning the rubber game 13-21, 21-10, 21-16.
“For sure I can’t underestimate my opponents. They are going to play like they have nothing to lose. So I really need to stay focused.”
In addition to Christie, Indonesia’s World No. 5 Anthony Sinisuka Ginting was also competing in the Olympics and was drawn in Group J together with Gergely Krausz of Hungaria and Sergey Sirant of Rusia.
As of Saturday, many teams have already arrived in Japan – some were at training camps located around the country, while some of them have entered the Olympic Village, where national flags have been hung on the buildings housing delegations.
Even though tight quarantine rules were imposed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infections, yet, the number of positive cases involving athletes coaches, and staff have continued to rise. On July 15, U.S. basketball stars Bradley Beal and Jerami Grant were placed in COVID-19 protocols and will not be traveling to Tokyo with the rest of the USA basketball team.
On the same day, a member of the Nigerian Olympics delegation who tested positive for the coronavirus at Narita airport was admitted to a nearby hospital.
