Kiwi sailor Alex Maloney sees the positive in having an extra year to prepare for Tokyo Olympics
The shifting of the Olympic Games by one year won't affect New Zealand's medal potential in Tokyo, according to the head of High Performance Sport New Zealand.
While the postponement of the 2020 Games was unavoidable – due to the escalating Covid-19 outbreak around the world – it has createda number of logistical challenges.
Funding models need to be re-worked, training programmes completely changed and planning cycles adjusted significantly.
And it leaves a lot of unknowns around performance, as athletes who were on track to peak in a few months now need to adjust to a completely new scenario.
That may be difficult for some of our veteran performers, stalwarts like Nick Willis (36), Dame Valerie Adams (35) and Mahe Drysdale (41), but may also present opportunities for younger athletes who will benefit from another year of preparation.
On balance, High Performance Sport New Zealand CEO Michael Scott believes our scope for success in Japan won't be affected by the shift.
"I always try to look at everything in [terms of] what is the opportunity," said Scott. "Sure, there were probably some athletes for whom [in 2020] it was likely to be their last Olympics and they will need to reset and work through what that means for them and their preparations.
"But the opportunity is that we have talent that has been improving on an exponential rate and we need to make sure we get those athletes ready to either make a final or get on the podium in 2021. We are still confident in the ability of our athletes and coaches to achieve in 2021."
New Zealand Olympic gold medal winners Eric Murray, Hamish Bond, Mahe Drysdale, Peter Burling, Blair Tuke and Lisa Carrington, outside the Athletes village at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Photo / Photosport
When asked about the main challenges presented by the new timeline, Scott suggested three areas.
Firstly the athletes, who were focused on a different timeframe and will be experiencing a "range of emotions", so HPSNZ needs to support them to refocus and reset.
Secondly, the various national associations who will be struggling financially, and Scott said that both Sport New Zealand and HPSNZ will be working with them to understand their challenges and needs.
And thirdly, what the elongated period means for the funding model.
"We need to move to a five-year Olympics cycle," said Scott. "We need to understand what that means but clearly we won't be spreading four years of investment over five years, as we wouldn't be able to provide the same high quality of support."
Scott is also confident that government funding to HPSNZ will be maintained, despite the pressures on central expenditure to come in the expected post Covid-19 recession.
"At this stage we are committed to our investment decisions that we have made to date," said Scott. "We work within the framework that the government provides us … if we need to cut our cloth accordingly, our first task will be to look internally and how we can trim our operating costs, finetune and maintain the best possible level of money going out the door to sports and athletes."
HPSNZ staff have been working with athletes throughout the lockdown, and Scott says their offerings, including nutrition support, sports psychology, physiotherapy and strength and conditioning have been widely utilised.
"Our services are in high demand," said Scott. "We have lent out equipment to athletes, set up home gyms, and we are providing programmes to them, helping them get into that new routine in a lock down environment."
Scott says HPSNZ are also prepared for the post-lockdown phase.
"We need to have everything ready so we can move as quickly as possible, when alert levels go back the other way," said Scott. "We are refocusing for a different Olympics, supporting the athletes through a challenging time and making sure we are ready for Tokyo in 2021, but also ensuring a smooth transition for a three-year cycle into Paris [2024]. We have a lot on our plate."
