»We don’t believe in a boycott« (nd-aktuell.de)

On this Wednesday, the biathletes will start their second home World Cup just three days after the competitions in Oberhof. In Ruhpolding, the German athletes want to do better, and they want to run onto the podium again. How do you assess the trend with a view to the Olympics?

Of course, the results have not been entirely satisfactory recently. But we are optimistic about the future, including Beijing. I do believe that we will fight for the podium places there with the women and men.

That should also work out next winter at the home world championships in Oberhof. How satisfied were you with the dress rehearsal?

Excellent work was done in Oberhof. After heavy rain, almost everything was green three days before the first competition. The way in which the routes were then prepared within a few days shows the excellent organization. You have to thank the many voluntary helpers who have created ideal conditions in a quick action.

How do you rate the new Oberhof stadium?

There is still a lot to be done. A lot is already ready for the 2023 World Cup. I tend to shy away from superlatives, but it has to be said that it has become one of the best biathlon stadiums in the world, if not the best. The buildings are very functional and well integrated into the landscape. Short distances are guaranteed. It is also a sustainable investment because the buildings will certainly be used for decades. This can also be used to create tourism incentives. In any case, the World Cup was a great calling card for the World Cup. And we would particularly like to thank the Free State of Thuringia. We as DSV have applied for the World Cup, but Thuringia has subsidized this whole area. That was exemplary. We can really look forward to great conditions with many volunteers who will put their heart and soul into the event.

Back to the Olympics: Most recently, DSV Alpine Director Wolfgang Maier criticized. China would use different threshold values ​​for PCR corona tests and could therefore more easily take athletic opponents out of the competition. How do you rate this problem?

It is understandable for him that he is concerned about equal opportunities. And it’s okay for him to express his concerns. On the other hand, we believe that the IOC (International Olympic Committee, editor’s note) and especially the organizers on site in China in cooperation with the medical advisors of the World Health Organization (WHO) have recognized this problem and will solve it. In any case, I am not yet aware of any indications or concrete examples of abuse.

You also sit on the boards of the FIS and IBU world ski and biathlon federations. How do they deal with this situation?

Our doctors are of course in close contact with the IOC and the organizers. We are well positioned there. Now perhaps we need to improve communication with our athletes and coaches and convey to them what clear statements the IOC is making: What are the problems and what are the solutions to them?

If you ask the athletes, they are particularly afraid of being stuck in Chinese quarantine for weeks if the test is positive. Apparently there is still some ambiguity here as well.

There are already first statements from on site about how to proceed and how long the quarantine times will be. Obviously, we and our doctors now have to communicate this even better.

Do the athletes also approach you with political questions about how they should or are allowed to behave in the host country?

Naturally. But we won’t muzzle any of our athletes. Most recently there was a discussion about boycotting the games completely from a sporting point of view. We don’t think so, neither the DSV nor the IBU. We believe this discussion should have been held seven years earlier before the Games were awarded to Beijing. Now there is nothing that can be done about it and the athletes should be allowed to concentrate on the sport. But it is very important to me that our participation does not approve or tolerate the human rights situation in China. These things have to be separated from the sporty.

There is at least one diplomatic boycott from some countries. How do you judge that?

It’s not really our job. Politics has to decide something like that. But I don’t know whether this type of boycott makes sense. I always believe in dialogue, no matter how small the chance of success. That’s why I’m always in favor of talking to each other instead of isolating myself from one another.

The criticism of the host concerns not only the human rights situation, but also the renewed gigantism in the construction of the sports facilities. Do you really believe that this will change in future Olympic awards by the IOC?

We have to succeed in finding attractive locations in the classic winter sports regions. This is our homework. With Munich and Garmisch we would have had such an excellent location to host the 2022 Games. But unfortunately that failed because of the popular vote.

Well, the Olympic opponents rather blamed the IOC and its rampant requirements for the failure of the application.

I don’t think so. We have to work to show people again that the Olympic Games can be sustainable. In Bavaria, at least 80 percent of the sports facilities would already have existed. At the time, we did not succeed in taking people with us and explaining to them the long-term benefits of the games. You can still see it in Munich today, even 50 years after the summer games there.

As a world association, shouldn’t one also convince the IOC that gigantism must end? It can’t go on like this forever.

I can only agree. We have to go back to the classic winter sports resorts. We at the Olympics haven’t exactly shone here in recent years. I’m not just referring to Sochi, Pyeongchang or Beijing since 2014. The games before that, in Turin 2006 and Vancouver 2010, were not sustainable either, at least as far as the Nordic disciplines were concerned. We have to do better in the future.