The {% if %} tag evaluates a variable, and if that variable is "true" (i.e. exists, is not empty, and is not a false boolean value) the contents of the block are output:
{% if user_list %} Number of users in the list: {{ user_list|count }} {% else %} No users found. {% endif %}
In the above, if athlete_list is not empty, the number of athletes will be displayed by the {{ athlete_list|length }} variable.
As you can see, the if tag can take an option {% else %} clause that will be displayed if the test fails.
You can also inverse the check using not:
{% if not user_list %} No users found {% endif %}
If you use just if and if not you can also apply filters on those values:
{% if user.name|strip %} username given {% endif %}
You can also check if two variables (or a variable and a string for example) match:
{% if item.id equals "index" %} class="active"{% endif %}
Or if they don't match:
{% if not page equals active_page %} ... {% endif %}
In both cases you can't apply filters.