Team Italy in the Corona crisis: “We could do practically nothing for two months!”

Berchtesgaden (FIL) Italy was already overrun by the coronavirus crisis at the beginning of 2020. With more than 16,000 dead, the Italian region of Lombardy is one of the hardest hit regions in Europe. In total, more than 34,000 people have died from the COVID-19 virus in the country so far.

As a result, the lockdown was stricter and longer in Italy than in other of the European countries. From March 10th onwards, the Italians were practically locked up at home for almost two months. At the beginning of May, the first steps of easing the lockdown were taken, but the fear of a setback is still prominent throughout the country. 

Italy's head coach Kurt Brugger says: “When it came to the lockdown, all of Italy was treated equally. One was practically not allowed to leave the house, at most for only a small amount of time and for essential shopping. There were no regional differences, even though in South Tyrol there were fortunately only a few hotspots in the tourist resorts. The lockdown rules were very strictly controlled. Now in Italy one is still worried and careful. Everyone keeps to wearing a mask and distancing rules are strictly enforced. Only with an increase in tourists are there more cases now.”
At the peak of the lockdown, there was practically nothing that could be done. The sportsmen and sportswomen trained individually at home, as best they could, from March until May. Kurt Brugger reports: “The preparation for the season was not possible like in previous years. We are quite behind in the material construction. We couldn't do anything for three months. Nobody was allowed to go anywhere or work in the workshop. It was all forbidden, although now it has been possible again for a couple of months. Now we train again in a group of up to six people. It all takes a bit longer, we have to take fever readings before and after each training session, send attendance and health protocols to our association FISI in Milan. But that's how it works. We are happy to be able to train together again under certain conditions.”

The head coach and his team hope that from now on “things will go back to normal” and thank Oswald Haslrieder and Willi Huber, who are currently working under high pressure and with a lot of overtime on the sleds in the workshop in Vahrn near Brixen. The 1994 Olympic champion reports: “Ossi and Willi are doing a great job in material construction. They try to make up for lost time in the preparation for the season. But of course it is financially difficult at the moment. Right at the beginning of the crisis, we had to put all contracts with honorary coaches on ice. Coach contracts were not renewed.” 

Furthermore, in currently uncertain times, it is very difficult to sign new and long-term sponsorship contracts. “The planning situation is very uncertain. For the winter it is hardly predictable what is coming. I haven't been able to book any hotels or flights for the season because you don't know how it will be. So far I have only made hotel enquiries and announced that we might come. Europe-wide, i.e. in the Schengen area, everything is currently quite liberal again. Therefore, I already think that the start of the season could take place in Igls, under the FIL's hygiene regulations. But which nations might not be able to participate due to possible travel restrictions and how things will continue, we will have to wait and see.”