For hockey players the Olympics are the ultimate stage at which they can showcase their skills in the hope of transferring to a club in a competitive league, such as those in Europe.
But the coronavirus pandemic has caused logistical hurdles due to travel restrictions and put pressure on club budgets which make it harder for players to move after the 14-day Tokyo Olympics hockey tournament finishes on Friday.
"The thing about the Olympic Games is that there's a kind of agreement that players are at their best at this particular time," said Shane McLeod, who led Belgium's men team to their first Olympic gold on Thursday as their head coach.