Thursday, July 22, 2021 at 09:00• Daniel Cabot Kerkdijk • Last update: 09:30

The the Dutch Lionesses will still have more freedom of movement in the Sendai Royal Park Hotel players’ hotel. That is the outcome of discussions between the spokespersons of the Lionesses, the management of the hotel and people from Tokyo2020. National coach Sarina Wiegman had complained after the opening game against Zambia (3-10 win) at the Olympics about the conditions in which she had to stay with her team. Wiegman even coined the term ‘prison’ on Wednesday.

“We live in a hotel in which we are put away at the back of the building, which I think is really not good,” Wiegman said after the monster victory over Zambia in conversation with The Telegraph. “We are not allowed in the public areas, we go through the staff entrance, have to walk through the staff corridors, eat somewhere in the basement. And we can’t go outside. It’s a prison. It cannot stay like this any longer. We just need to get out for a bit! So I don’t talk about it anymore. It is really impossible for us to contract Covid.”

Wiegman’s ‘package of requirements’ has now been complied with. “We have therefore succeeded in normalizing life in the bubble and getting some ‘easing’ implemented,” press officer Anja van Ginhoven told the newspaper. “We are of course very happy with that, because this is very important in the context of the mental health of athletes.”

The relaxations mean, among other things, that the the Dutch Lionesses no longer have to enter the hotel through a rear goods entrance and goods lift. The players and supervisors are now allowed ‘normal’ through the main entrance and the lobby, with the restriction that they do not use the elevators, to avoid the risk of ‘mixing with other guests’. Access to the dining room and the meeting room is no longer through the kitchen and the players are allowed to go outside again. In the spacious garden there is a section reserved especially for the Dutch, where chairs and tables are also placed.

The players are also allowed to walk in the park of and next to the hotel, provided there are no other guests. The team management emphasizes that the basic rules will remain in force. This means, among other things, wearing face masks, keeping your distance and washing hands. The participants of the Games are not allowed to visit public places.