Let The Games Begin An Inside View Of The Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Let The Games Begin An Inside View Of The Tokyo 2020 Olympics

By Annan Hepner

All eyes were on Tokyo last summer as the Olympic Games were held following an unprecedented one-year delay. It was a record-setting showing for the United States Equestrian Team and its amazing squad of riders and coaches, most with deep ties to the Wellington community. The dressage team of Adrienne Lyle riding Salvino, Steffen Peters aboard Suppenkasper and Sabine Schut-Kery with Sanceo rode to an incredible silver medal victory. Not to be outdone, the show jumping team of Laura Kraut with Baloutinue, Jessica Springsteen aboard Don Juan van de Donkhoeve and McLain Ward riding Contagious competed in a thrilling gold medal jump-off with the Swedish riders, taking silver by just the narrowest of margins. We are pleased to partner with Annan Hepner of the Phelps Media Group to bring our readers this fascinating behind-the-scenes look at what it was like to cover equestrian events at an Olympic Games unlike any other.

All eyes were on Tokyo last summer as the Olympic Games were held following an unprecedented one-year delay. It was a record-setting showing for the United States Equestrian Team and its amazing squad of riders and coaches, most with deep ties to the Wellington community. The dressage team of Adrienne Lyle riding Salvino, Steffen Peters aboard Suppenkasper and Sabine Schut-Kery with Sanceo rode to an incredible silver medal victory. Not to be outdone, the show jumping team of Laura Kraut with Baloutinue, Jessica Springsteen aboard Don Juan van de Donkhoeve and McLain Ward riding Contagious competed in a thrilling gold medal jump-off with the Swedish riders, taking silver by just the narrowest of margins. We are pleased to partner with Annan Hepner of the Phelps Media Group to bring our readers this fascinating behind-the-scenes look at what it was like to cover equestrian events at an Olympic Games unlike any other.

When my official press credential arrived in the mail in early June, it marked more than three years of applying and tediously filling out paperwork for a chance to venture to Tokyo. During a normal Olympic Games, the logistics are quite robust, but with the year-long postponement due to the pandemic, preparing for Tokyo 2020 (despite being held in 2021, this was the official name of the games) was a mountainous undertaking.

Japanese culture is renowned for its attention to detail, but the pandemic threw a major wrench into everything. The organizers jumped through new hoops every week to attempt to mitigate as much risk as possible while dramatic headlines caused a frenzy: Will the games be canceled? Should they be canceled? What about the 11,000 athletes who had trained their entire lives for this moment? It certainly was a chaotic runup to the Olympics, but as they say, “The show must go on.” And it certainly did, with impressive processing, tracking and maneuvering of the estimated 80,000 people who flew into Tokyo as participants.

There is still a contentious debate on whether the games were an overall success, but they were not the disaster that many anticipated.

Only 430 positive cases occurred throughout the games, and there were countless spectacular moments in sports with records smashed and inspirational performances wowing TV viewers. However, with travel into Japan banned other than for credentialed participants, and Japanese ticket holders refunded due to the state of emergency, the losses were significant. Postponing a year cost the organizing committee more than $2.8 billion, and the absence of spectators robbed the Japanese not only of tourism dollars, but the opportunity to showcase their culture.

Despite the controversies, my goal here is to shed a little light on what it was like covering the games as an equestrian photographer.

The Prep — While the pandemic logistics for athletes and coaches were primarily handled by their national governing body, members of the press were responsible for filing every additional piece of paperwork correctly, or risk not being granted entry. Pre-COVID-19, I was beyond thrilled for the chance to represent Phelps Media Group at the most prestigious sporting event in the world. It was a distinct accomplishment in my career, and as an avid traveler, I was unfazed at the thought of flying alone to the opposite side of the globe. Yet as the pandemic raged on, it became a marathon of solving one logistical nightmare after another.

Hotel and flight rebooking was the easiest part of the postponement. We waited until the spring to purchase new tickets when we were more confident that Tokyo 2020 was happening, whether the world was ready or not. Every day leading up to my flight, I received e-mails with additional obligations and forms I needed to submit. Since I was the only staff member representing my company in Tokyo, I was also responsible for training as a COVID-19 liaison officer, which was a mandatory assignment to comply with the restrictions. Hundred-page-long playbooks full of strict rules plagued my dreams.

Prior to taking off from Fort Lauderdale to Haneda International Airport, I had an overflowing folder with my official credential, passport, two negative COVID-19 PCR certificates, additional health insurance, a 14-day report of daily temperature monitoring, an immigration QR code and hard copies of all the required forms. The most nerve-wracking part of the preparation was waiting for the approval of my required 14-Day Activity Plan. It highlighted the few locations I was allowed to visit while in Tokyo. It was approved only hours before my flight.

A 20-Hour Journey — Fortunately, the trip itself to Tokyo went off without a hitch! I spent the journey organizing my Adobe Lightroom photography catalog, reading an entire book and attempting to get a bit of sleep. When I landed in Haneda, all credentialed passengers were escorted to a private section of the airport to begin the three-hour immigration process. Because my activity plan was approved in time, I was able to breeze through many steps of the check-in procedure. Other passengers were not as lucky.

From the moment I landed, the friendliness and hospitality of the Japanese staff was unprecedented. While the logistics were insane, their openness to everyone arriving made the experience pleasant. They ensured the health-monitoring app on my phone was set up correctly, an addition necessary to track everyone’s movements throughout the games. The hotel, sports venue and main press center were the only locations I was allowed to go, and face masks were required everywhere. The app would also alert you if you happened to come in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 in order for you to go into isolation as a precaution. This was followed by a final COVID-19 test and an hour-long wait until my vial number was listed on the negative-results screen.

The next few steps were a bit of a blur as jet lag was setting in, but the volunteers ushered me into a taxi to deliver me to my hotel. It was about a 45-minute drive through the city to arrive in Shinjuku, a bustling Tokyo burrow. After a confusing check-in process with my lifesaving Google Translate, I toured what would be my abode for the next 20 days — a miniature room with an even tinier bathroom, featuring a breathtaking view, hot water and a functioning AC. What more could I need for the work trip of a lifetime?

Let The Games Begin — My first full day in Tokyo involved figuring out the complex bus shuttle system with precise timetables and touring the main press center. I picked up taxi vouchers, a camera rain guard from the Canon store and my photographer bib. What it lacked in fashion sense, it certainly made up for with the amount of useful pockets. I also was given 10 self-testing COVID-19 kits, as we had to submit saliva samples daily for the first three days, and then every four days following.

As I was only covering the equestrian disciplines, I familiarized myself with the stunning BajiKoen Equestrian Complex and the traditionally decorated stadium. Following the initial horse health inspection and schooling session, my work assignments kicked off full tilt.

My personal favorite, the dressage competition, was the first discipline to take to the arena, and despite the lack of spectators, the environment was electric. I witnessed some less-than-stellar performances, but I also was privileged to watch some of the most harmonious tests I’ve seen in my career. Fan-favorite riders including Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, Charlotte Dujardin, Isabell Werth and Cathrine Dufour laid down beautiful rides, but as an American, witnessing Sabine Schut-Kery’s rides throughout the week on Sanceo was magical. It was her Olympic debut beside veterans Steffen Peters and Adrienne Lyle, and she wowed everyone with personal bests!

She said it best following the U.S. Dressage Team’s historic silver medal win. “I’m so proud of my horse, my team, my owners and the coaches,” Schut-Kery said. “This is my first Olympics, and it has been a really great experience. I’m still a little bit speechless. I am filled with joy and pride, but it’s such a team effort. To deliver for the whole team, not just the riders, but for my coaches and owners, that’s everything. It was a big relief and happiness.”

Once the dressage team and individual medals were awarded, three-day eventing athletes took to the ring. Covering the cross-country course alone in Tokyo was quite the experience — a 4 a.m. wake-up call to shuttle to the course, temperatures over 100 degrees and running around the vast course to get shots wiped me out. However, the photos offered stunning views of Tokyo Bay and the city’s skyline — and all the American riders crossed the finish line safely.

The four days of show jumping competition wrapped up my whirlwind trip, and the competition kept everyone on their toes. The Swedish team was foot perfect, with its riders not touching a single rail. Following the first round of the team final, they were propelled into an unprecedented gold medal jump-off with the U.S.

In the end, all three athletes from each country cleared the track, and just 1.3 seconds would separate the two nations, as Sweden clinched the gold medal while the U.S. brought home the silver. It was mind-blowing to be shooting the action live while colleagues back home were texting their excitement!

The youngest team rider, Jessica Springsteen, explained it best: “I thought all three of our horses jumped great, so I had really high hopes coming into the final, especially with Laura [Kraut] and McLain [Ward] on the team. It really gave me a lot of confidence and gave me the ability to have big dreams riding with them.”

Reflections Through My Lens — As the final medal ceremony faded into the Tokyo skyline, my eyes welled with tears as it hit me how fast the time flew by and how special the experience was. Though I was apprehensive about delivering high-quality coverage for our readers and clients back home, funny enough, the most difficult part of my routine was acquiring food. Since we were not allowed to go out to eat for the first 14 days, UberEats was the only reasonable source of food, but the app did not translate menus to English. It was a daily adventure ordering food and meeting the Japanese bike deliverers in the hotel lobby.

A few days before my flight home, I received the “all clear” message on my tracking app, granting me permission to move more freely around the city. Though I only had one day to explore between my coverage schedule, I took full advantage of the opportunity.

I spent the day with a photographer friend, hopping onto the metro, wandering the streets and fitting in as many historic stops as I could, including Asakusa Temple, the Imperial Palace and Meiji Jingu Shrine.

After boarding the plane home, I racked my brain thinking back on all the professional tricks of the trade I learned from photographers with decades of experience and how grateful I was for the opportunity to shoot alongside the best of the best. I was surprised by how the isolation of traveling and working alone affected me, but the journalists and photographers I befriended in Tokyo made it a rewarding experience.

What a privilege it was to photograph the games, and it is such an honor to hear from athletes who’ve seen my work thank me for immortalizing their experience. As anxiety-inducing as the lead up to Tokyo was, taking the leap to attend was well worth it. Here’s to seizing every opportunity and surviving to tell the tale!

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