Duco Telgenkamp’s Journey to the Paris Olympics: Embracing Change and Safety

Embracing Change: Duco Telgenkamp’s Journey to the Paris Olympics

Duco Telgenkamp arrived at the Paris Olympics with a well-defined strategy in his mind. He understood that the keys to success lay in being decisive, clear, and, most importantly, initiating interactions early. “You have to get your move in first,” he emphasized. “It’s essential to give people a sign that it will be a fist bump.” This assertiveness is not just a personal preference; it’s a reflection of a broader approach adopted by athletes and staff members in the Netherlands’ Olympic delegation.

Upon their arrival in Paris, the Dutch team was informed of an important official team policy: handshakes, high-fives, and hugs were off-limits. Instead, the fist bump was designated as the only acceptable physical greeting, a light-hearted yet serious measure to maintain safety.

This approach is undoubtedly rooted in a legacy that many would prefer to forget—one word that remains unspoken among those involved with the Paris Games: coronavirus. The pandemic has left its mark on the previous two editions of the Olympics, held in Tokyo in 2021 and Beijing in 2022, where restrictions altered the atmosphere and experience significantly. Paris is being branded as the moment when the Olympic flame can be reignited, and this time, safely.

For the fans, this transformation has resulted in packed stands and a vibrant, carnival-like atmosphere, a stark contrast to the previous Games. For the athletes, however, the experience has been refreshingly different compared to the isolating conditions faced in Japan and China, where strict bubbles were enforced to facilitate the events.

During the Tokyo Games, many athletes found themselves competing in empty stadiums, a surreal experience that stripped away the thrill of live audiences. Credit: Doug Mills/The New York Times

After qualifying for those Games, athletes had to navigate a complicated bureaucratic maze of Covid protocols. This included obtaining multiple negative tests from designated clinics, managing a mountain of paperwork, using health-tracking apps on their phones, and presenting a flurry of QR codes to officials upon arrival. The cumbersome nature of these requirements highlighted the challenges athletes faced, making their journey to Paris all the more significant.