{"id":424580,"date":"2020-03-26T01:01:53","date_gmt":"2020-03-26T08:01:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=424580"},"modified":"2024-10-28T12:02:26","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T19:02:26","slug":"send-in-the-clowns-coach-walter-bolognani-on-the-challenges-of-corona-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/send-in-the-clowns-coach-walter-bolognani-on-the-challenges-of-corona-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Send in the Clowns: Coach Walter Bolognani On The Challenges Of Corona Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

Commentary<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

In the wake of the tardy decision to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games<\/a>, Swimming World is talking to athletes and coaches about what the change of schedule forced by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic<\/strong> means to them.\u00a0<\/em>Here, we consider the backdrop, the extent of the global health crisis unfolding and its impact on Olympic sport, and talk to Walter Bolognani<\/strong>, head coach to the Italian National Junior Team, World Swimming Coaches Association (WSCA) board member and and co-founder of Nuoto.com<\/a> about the hurdles ahead.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"tokyo2021crop\"<\/p>\n

The Olympic Games is, of course, just one of many competitions, goals, dreams and ambitions to be blown off course by the pandemic. This from the maestro of Italy’s pool of talent sums up one of the key challenges:<\/p>\n

On the mental challenges unfolding, Coach Bolognani<\/h3>\n

“What I\u2019m worried about are athletes and their mental capacitiy.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

“I\u2019m dealing with youth\/junior guys who, for reasons of age, experience and mentally, aren\u2019t in the same place as the elite swimmers.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

“Targets are fading and we\u2019re at a stage of critical\/dangerous emotional bounce.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

“I go from one video call to another with guys looking for certainties I know I can\u2019t give … the adult, the coach, is the reference, the safety, the shelter where every young person can and must count on. Under the current circumstances, this is a great burden for all colleagues.”<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You can find the full quote on that below as Bolognani sets out four key concerns at this stage of the challenge unfolding.<\/p>\n

With a nod to events in his own country, coach Bolognani said:<\/p>\n

“Swimming pools are privately managed, clubs operate in these.<\/p>\n

“Coaches are working with weak contracts and those are not very lucrative.\u00a0I live in a privileged position but I have great concerns for the majority of my colleagues whose situations can be summed up in these two thoughts:<\/p>\n