There is a lot of talk these days about the fact that the Champions League game of FC Bayern this Wednesday against FC Barcelona has to be played in front of empty ranks and that the amateur and youth footballers were sent early for the winter break by the Bavarian Football Association. But indoor athletes are also suffering enormously from the increasing number of infections. Alexander Novakovic, chairman of TSV Ismaning and spokesman for the handball department management, speaks in the SZ interview about the enormous demands that Corona makes on sports clubs.
SZ: Mr. Novakovic, indoor handball is traditionally a sport that, with the exception of a short break at Christmas, is also played over the turn of the year. How is it this time in the middle of the fourth corona wave?
Alexander Novakovic: We are already on a winter break, all leagues in Bavaria will pause until January 9th. We hope that it will continue then. Fortunately, the numbers are already slightly down again, hopefully it will stay that way.
Do you at least still train and if so, which G-regulations do you currently use?
We have given all teams the freedom to train and educated parents and athletes about the possible consequences. All teams actually pull it off. The 2-G plus rule applies to all training sessions with us. We have modified the training plans, there are special ventilation breaks, there are no simultaneous units of several teams, the teams always come into the hall one after the other. What we exposed are cross-team units, such as special training, in which players of different age groups meet. The same groups should always come together and so far it’s been going very well.
Alexander Novakovic from TSV Ismaning.
(Photo: German Handball Federation)
How high is the vaccination rate among Ismaning handball players?
Let me put it this way: There is no senior player who would be excluded from playing handball under the current 2-G rule. We expressly promote a vaccination!
How do you implement this with the additional tests required?
This compulsory test does not apply to the smallest, i.e. up to U6, although testing is voluntary here as well. The school tests apply to the students. But otherwise a daily test is necessary for everyone. We also accept self-tests if they are carried out and documented under supervision. All of this is an enormous effort, but it is going very well under the circumstances. And for us in the club there is a clear maxim: We are there to enable our members to participate in sport.
How do you perceive the reactions, for example with the children?
Many kids have learned to live with the pandemic. My four-year-old son is already testing himself, and his coloring book shows children wearing masks. That’s not nice, but unfortunately it’s normal at the moment.
And how is the number of members developing? Especially in the handball department of the TSV there was even a freeze on admission before Corona because the club was bursting at the seams …
We actually still have waiting lists for children and young people, but this is also due to the lack of the Osterfeldhalle, which is being renovated. Nevertheless, the effects of Corona could also be felt in the number of members. Now at the end of the year, as always at this time, there are some withdrawals.
The club has just opened its brand new hall …
That is why there was a huge euphoria in the summer – and then the pandemic hits it all again. We have now put the official opening event of the hall and the celebration of the 80th anniversary of our department on hold. But they are coming (laughs).
How do the constant interruptions in training operations affect the skills of athletes, especially in the youth sector?
You really notice it extremely. I am also the national coach of the women’s beach handball team and I can say that a lot of the active players in the technical and handball-specific area fell by the wayside. We tried to work up a lot in the summer, for example with a youth training camp with over 300 children. Now, with the fourth wave, the next blow in the neck has caught us. But that wasn’t entirely unexpected.
A reproach to politics from a former CSU councilor?
I am no longer politically active, but the fourth wave could have been prevented. Politicians knew about it by September at the latest, and all scientists were in agreement. That is why I am very disappointed with federal and state politics and think that this has failed. I have to put it so hard after three waves of infection.
You are also the chairman of the entire association. How are other departments in TSV currently doing?
In basketball and volleyball, the game is idle, individual basketball teams are still training. Our recreational volleyball team, gymnasts, table tennis and martial artists are also still training, in compliance with the rules. Others, such as the stick shooters, are currently failing completely, for whom the 2-G plus rule is too explosive.