Olympic sailing: Under the spell of the coronavirus: 470 sailors in China

Berlin 470 sailors Daniel Göttlich and Linus Klasen had imagined their month-long intensive training at the Chinese performance centre in Haikou a little differently: The location chosen by the sailors themselves for individual training at the beginning of the year has turned into a temporary trap due to the rapidly spreading coronavirus. The athletes are only allowed to leave their accommodation once a day for training. The radius of movement in the building itself is also regulated, and face masks must be worn at all times when leaving the accommodation. The German 470 crew can only see their own room, the Chinese coach's room, the fitness room and the canteen. The room at the base is cleaned by the crew themselves and purchases are sanitised by selected employees. On site, the sailors give their temperature to the translator every morning. In addition, their body temperature is taken when they return to the building from sailing.

The 19-year-old helmsman Daniel Göttlich from the Seglerhaus am Wannsee club and his co-skipper of the same age from the Potsdam Yacht Club have been in China since 10 January. Their return flight is scheduled for 7 February. The Germans came because the Chinese 470 coach invited them to spar with his two teams ranked in the top ten of the world rankings. "It was very attractive for us," says Daniel Göttlich, "because the local conditions are very similar to certain weather conditions that we expect in the Olympic qualifiers."

The young Berliners are training for a last-minute chance, but above all for the future. The German 470 men have so far been just as unsuccessful as the Finn sailors in securing a place on the national starting list for the 2020 Olympic regatta, without which an Olympic appearance in these disciplines is not possible. Finn and 470 sailors will have one last opportunity to turn the tide at the World Cup in Genoa in the spring, where the best European crew not yet qualified can look forward to a place on the national starting list. Daniel Göttlich and Linus Klasen will be competing as a junior team with prospects. The two leading teams in Germany so far are Simon Diesch/Julian Autenrieth (Württembergischer Yacht-Club/Bayerischer Yacht-Club) and Malte Winkel/Matti Cipra (Schweriner Yacht-Club/Plauer Wassersportverein).

The Chinese town of Haikou, where Göttlich/Klasen are training, is around 1500 kilometres away from the city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus was first detected and is most widespread. Nevertheless, the Chinese authorities in Haikou are also taking strong protective measures, which affect the members of the German Sailing Team's perspective squad during their stay at the competitive sports centre. Face masks are also compulsory there because many sailors from the Chinese national team are on site and nobody wants to risk falling ill six months before the Olympic Games. Daniel Göttlich explains that the face mask can only be taken off when the team is on the water. So far, the GER team has been able to carry out water training on 20 out of a total of 28 days. The Chinese Sailing Association only decided to isolate the base around a week and a half after the German sailors arrived. It includes the regulation that neither sailors, coaches nor staff are allowed to leave the building for purposes other than sailing. The harbour is just a few steps away on the other side of the road.

Despite the excitement, helmsman Göttlich's assessment so far has been positive: "The Chinese have been excellent hosts. The training is as effective as we imagined it would be. And it has certainly been an interesting experience. We had a great time here, but are looking forward to Berlin again, especially under these circumstances. So far, everything looks like we will be able to start our journey home on 7 February. Unfortunately, we don't have much choice but to hope that nothing changes. We have not yet been informed of a health check. Whether one is carried out is ultimately the responsibility of the German authorities."