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Uwe Gensheimer at the EM 2020
Photo: Revierfoto via www.imago-images.de/ imago images / Revierfoto
National team captain Uwe Gensheimer speaks out in favor of hosting the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
»We handball players have a professional league operation and a regular income.
But there are sports that are almost only the focus of the Olympics and are dependent on the opportunity to present oneself, "the 34-year-old told the" Mannheimer Morgen ".
For the left wing of the Rhein-Neckar Löwen, the games in the Japanese metropolis are also a ray of hope in times of the coronavirus pandemic: »They are a symbol of hope.
Just like now the European Football Championship. "
The summer games actually planned for 2020 have been postponed by a year due to the pandemic and are now to open on July 23.
Most recently, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga decided to lift the corona emergency that has been in place for Tokyo for months.
However, some restrictions should continue to apply.
In any case, experts fear that the recent decrease in the number of corona infections could rise again during the games.
Gensheimer is cautious about the sporting chances of German handball players at the Olympics. »After the previous tournaments we are not the top favorite for gold. The opponents are really tough, but we have the right to survive the preliminary round, ”he said. In the group stage, the German team will meet France, Spain and Norway, among others.
On Tuesday, the German Handball Federation (DHB) announced that national trainer Alfred Gislason will be preparing for the Olympic Games with 17 players. The Melsungers Finn Lemke and Tobias Reichmann as well as Jannik Kohlbacher from the Rhein-Neckar Löwen are returning to the squad. In contrast, the injured Patrick Wiencek (THW Kiel) and Fabian Wiede (Füchse Berlin) are missing from the squad that secured the Tokyo ticket in March. Circle player Wiencek is not yet fit enough for a big tournament after his fibula fracture, backcourt player Wiede is plagued by ongoing shoulder problems.
The DHB selection meets next Monday in Herzogenaurach for the first course.
As part of this, the DHB selection completed two international matches as part of a three-nation tournament in Nuremberg.
On July 9, the opponent is Brazil (8:15 p.m., TV: Sport1), two days later Egypt (3:05 p.m., TV: Sport1).
On July 14th, the German handball players will travel to Tokushima, Japan, for the second preparatory phase, before continuing to Tokyo on July 22nd to the Olympic Village.
sak / sid