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German biathlon star falls from faith with official Olympic gift - and attacks organizer

2022-02-04T12:20:24.952Z


German biathlon star falls from faith with official Olympic gift - and attacks organizer Created: 2022-02-04 13:08 By: Patrick Mayer Shortly before the start of the Winter Olympics, the German biathlete criticized the organizers with a striking dig at Instagram. And that's not all. Munich/Zhangjiakou – The risk of infection with the corona virus. Allegations of alleged human rights violations.


German biathlon star falls from faith with official Olympic gift - and attacks organizer

Created: 2022-02-04 13:08

By: Patrick Mayer

Shortly before the start of the Winter Olympics, the German biathlete criticized the organizers with a striking dig at Instagram.

And that's not all.

Munich/Zhangjiakou – The risk of infection with the corona virus.

Allegations of alleged human rights violations.

Huge construction projects in former nature reserves.

Sports facilities that will probably not be sustainable.

China has been heavily criticized even before the 2022 Olympics begin.

And with the giant empire in the Far East, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for awarding the Winter Games to the socialist People's Republic.

The games will officially open there on Friday (1 p.m.,

ZDF

and here in the live ticker).

Erik Lesser before the 2022 Olympics: German biathlon star hands out against organizers on Instagram

A reproach that is raised again and again: The IOC and the associations are mainly concerned with the huge market in China, rather than with environmental protection and sustainability. Now there was criticism from the Olympic biathlon camp, from a German Olympian. We're talking about Erik Lesser, two-time biathlon world champion and double silver medalist (individual, relay) at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

The 33-year-old Thuringian posted an Instagram story in which he depicted gloves that he, as an athlete, apparently received from the organizers.

The terms "Solidarity, Inclusion, Equality, Peace, Respect" are embroidered on it.

In other words: solidarity, inclusion (inclusion of people in society), equality, peace, respect.

Apparently, Lesser used a photo montage and put the terms "money, money, money, money, money" over it, i.e.: "money, money, money, more money".

He wrote in his post addressed to the official website of the Olympic Winter Games: "I fixed it for you".

Erik Lesser shows his "corrected" gift.

© Instagram / erik.lesser

For weeks there has been speculation about how freely athletes from all over the world are allowed to move in China.

On top of that.

In his Instagram story, Lesser also questioned the usefulness of the Kuyangshu Nordic Ski and Biathlon Center near the city of Zhangjiakou, around 180 kilometers northeast of Beijing.

So he posed for a photo in front of the cross-country ski run, with the two hills for ski jumping in the background.

He captioned the photo in English: "Honestly, it's very pretty out here.

But knowing what this area looked like before makes me sad.

All this for 3 weeks.”

Erik Lesser before the 2022 Olympics: German biathlon star attacks IOC President Thomas Bach

To put it in context: The Nordic Ski and Biathlon Center was built in a hilly area that is by no means known as a winter sports resort.

And that's not all: Lesser shared a post from another user on Instagram, also a photo montage.

On this he tilts the German IOC President Thomas Bach down a slope.

also read

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The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing officially begin on Friday.

But the first athletes are already training - and have to adapt to special circumstances.

Olympia 2022: Insane temperatures in Beijing - athletes have to be prepared for extreme weather

The sports facilities of the 2022 Olympics make him sad: biathlon star Erik Lesser.

© Instagram@erik.lesser

Just recently, biathlete Lesser Bach sharply criticized

the Olympics in 2022 in an interview with the

Munich newspaper Merkur .

"We athletes now have to pay for what the IOC couldn't manage.

We are now standing there and having to justify ourselves for the Olympic Games in a country where human rights are being violated.

So we also have to be more critical, which Thomas Bach, as IOC President, cannot do,” said the East German in January.

And said: "The understanding and the emotions that make up our sport will not be available in Beijing." Now the German winter sports star has shared his emotions with the Instagram community.

(pm)

Source: merkur

All sports articles on 2022-02-04

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