Lessons Learned at the Tokyo Olympics – Part 1
The Summer Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, which were postponed in 2020, were successfully held in 2021. The International Communication Committee of the Japan Sports Nutrition Association interviewed four sports dietitians who provided nutritional support for four sports during the Olympic Games and shared their experiences.
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Long Distance Running
I supported the long-distance running in track and field and the marathon. However, these events were held far from one another. I stayed with the marathon runners until the competition to manage their nutrition while giving dietary advice remotely to the long-distance runners in track and field.
Nutrition support activities before and during the Olympics
I conducted support activities for the team for over two and a half years leading up to the Olympic Games. During the preparation period, in addition to nourishing and providing meals for the athletes, we also took adequate measures to prevent heat stroke. It is important to prevent the core body temperature from increasing as much as possible during the competition. Ice is too cold, so we used coolers. For hydration, I made a special drink that is easy for the athletes to drink. We had prepared well for the heat, so we were not worried. However, COVID-19 was unexpected. Due to the postponement of the competition, the preparation time was longer than planned and it was difficult to adjust athletes’ performance to their best for the day of the competition. In order to maintain the athletes’ appetite during the long preparation period, I consulted with the staff and tried to use recovery drinks containing carbohydrates and proteins, and not focusing too much on nutritional management. For instance, changing the location of meals occasionally in order to uplift the mood. COVID-19 made things unpredictable, requiring us to be prepared for various situations and deal with the ever-changing circumstances.
Meal and food provision
I provided meals during not only the preparation period but also the last-minute adjustments and on the day of the competition. We simulated many times on the wake-up time, the type and also the quantity of food to eat, according to a given start time. A day before the competition, the start time was decided to be postponed by an hour. However, this was not a critical problem to us since we had prepared well.
This was the first time in 57 years that the Games were held in your own country. Were there any advantages, disadvantages, or other impacts on your support activities?
As support staff, I found it very helpful to know that I could always access unique Japanese ingredients. Another advantage of hosting in our own country was that we did not have to travel long distances.
New lessons or experiences gained from this competition
This Olympics was very special to me and something that I had never experienced in all my years of support activities. The biggest lesson I learnt was to be flexible without being distracted by my surroundings and to focus on being stable and calm, no matter what, so that the athletes can eat safely and stand on the starting line.
Judo
I am a full-time staff member of the Judo Federation and have been working in support of male and female Judo players for 12 years now. I provide meals and nutrition education. However, since I can contact the national players only during training camps or tours, I do not have much time to get involved with them. So, I try to provide “departmental stores’ type of support” such as to offer a large selection of food items with nutritional information, so that the players can learn the skills to choose what they really need from the many foods and information available. This has resulted in their strong interest in nutrition, with some players wanting to do their own nutritional calculations, and others giving nutrition quizzes to each other.
Nutrition support activities before and during the Olympics
With the spread of COVID-19, it was difficult to control the weight of the players during the period of restricted activity and cancellations of all matches and training camps. Since there was no previous research that reported the acceptable level of weight gain, we were fumbling on how much and what kind of dietary advice to give, especially during the period which athletes themselves could not even go out for shopping. Although I was able to change my mindset quickly about the postponement of the Olympic Games, it was quite difficult to conduct support activities under activity restrictions. However, with repeated declarations of the State of Emergency, I gained experience, and both staff and athletes seem to have learned how to do things.
Meal and food provision
In the past, including this time, I have long been responsible for checking the diet and adjusting the menu during the training camp as well as providing adjusted meal before and after the weigh-in, and preparing breakfast and a supplementary meal on the day of the match. Since judo is a weight class system, if weight loss is required, it is difficult to adjust it solely based on the diet at the hotel or in the athletes’ village and providing them with food becomes my crucial mission. There was also a lot of attention to detail, such as men and women having different preferences or range of the amount of weight loss. On the other hand, in the case of the heavier weight classes, athletes had to eat enough food not to lose weight, and I tried to keep the menu something the players would not get tired of and easy-to-eat.
This was the first time in 57 years that the Games were held in your own country. Were there any advantages, disadvantages, or other impacts on your support activities?
Having the Olympic Games in Japan was a great advantage for the supporters. This is because it was easy to get the ingredients you need, you always had the right condiments, and tap water can also be used. For example, crushed ice is sold in Japan but not abroad, so when abroad I had to crush it myself. Mirin (one of Japanese condiments) also required us to mix white wine and sugar when abroad, but we didn’t require it this time. In addition, the improved hygienic conditions allowed me to support the athletes with confidence.
New lessons or experiences gained from this competition
It reaffirmed the importance of continuing what we have been doing and preparing well. I think that preparing for all situations and coming up with ideas to cope with them and accumulating those experiences year by year leads to great results. Despite the postponement of the competition and the restriction of activities, we were able to work together as a team and coordinate again with many people.
