The conflict between the German Speed Skating Community (DESG) and the five-time Olympic champion Claudia Pechstein escalates. Pechstein's partner and manager Matthias Große, who was brought into play by Pechstein as a candidate for the vacant presidency of DESG, will not be included in the support staff of the German speed skating team from the World Cup season starting on Friday in Minsk. This was announced by the association in the evening.
As a reason sports director Matthias Kulik called the "partly improper and association-damaging media statements of Mr. Matthias Große against our current competitive sport association strategy". The sporting focus within the speed skating national team in preparation for the upcoming World Cup competitions must be 100 percent guaranteed despite the current association political situation.
"We see ourselves contrary to the statements with a strong team of supervisors on the right track in the sporting development of our association," Kulik was quoted in a statement by the DESG. Optimal care of Pechstein will still be guaranteed on and off the ice.
At the association level, DESG welcomes "a communal discourse with members as well as outsiders". A direct exchange of information would be open to those responsible within the association.
Great, after the surprise withdrawal of DESG President Stefanie Teeuwen, had sharply criticized the leadership of the association and, among other things, spoke of major financing problems. "The federation has so many liabilities, they live like princes and have no money," he said. In the past, Grosse Pechstein, who had described him as her "bodyguard" and mental coach, had accompanied her as a caretaker at the Olympics - and even then it had caused quite a stir. Pechstein has repeatedly criticized the association and organized their training largely independently of the association.