RIJSWIJK –
In about a month, badminton player Mark Caljouw (25) from Rijswijk will leave for the European Badminton Championship for mixed teams in Finland. “It is really great to be able to play the biggest tournaments in the world again,” says Mark, who has just returned from Thailand.
Due to the corona crisis, the world of the top athlete looks very different. To be allowed to enter the Asian country, Mark had to have a letter from the government and he has been tested about eight times. Once in Thailand, the team was taken to the hotel in a bus under police escort. ‘We seemed like a kind of prisoner’, says Mark in West Wordt Wakker on Radio West.
Once in the hotel, the badminton players were immediately tested. ‘We were not allowed to leave our room until the result was negative. Everything was monitored. And all the rooms were full of plastic, so they could clean it better. ‘ According to Mark, everyone was well monitored and they all had to fill in apps. “It was very strict in Asia.”
Changing mindset
Badminton players trained twice a week in Thailand. Once the two-week quarantine was over, they were allowed to go outside for an hour now and then. ‘In a kind of parking space behind the hall, with only your own selection. It was very extreme. ‘
Nevertheless, Mark is happy that all this is still possible for top athletes. ‘I am honored that I can still make quite a few trips during this period. But you have to change your mindset for a while. And in Asia it is just so much stricter and fiercer than here. That’s just the case, so you accept that too. ‘
No one is inviolable
Mark likes such a strict policy for the Netherlands. ‘Let’s be very strict and then hopefully contain the virus as soon as possible. But it is not that easy, not even for many companies. But I prefer to see it very strict that we can get out afterwards rather than keep simmering like this all the time. ‘ Fortunately, Mark himself escaped a corona infection when his roommate turned out positive. “Thank goodness I didn’t get it, but you can always catch it. That is also the danger of the virus, no one is inviolable. ‘
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EK Finland
Then the upcoming European Championship. Two years ago, the Dutch team took bronze. Mark thinks they have a good chance of matching the weather this year. ‘We have a young team and a few top players who really have to take care of the points. But we have a tough group with Russia, France and England, which are also top countries in Europe. If everyone is corona and injury free, it should be fine. I’m really looking forward to it.’
The European Mixed Team Championships will take place from Tuesday 16 to Saturday 20 February 2021. The Dutch selection consists of ten athletes: Mark Caljouw, Joran Kweekel, Robin Tabeling, Ruben Jille, Ties van der Lecq, Selena Piek, Jaymie Laurens, Nadia Choukri , Cheryl Seinen and Debora Jille.
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