Olympic luge champion Felix Loch brought relief supplies to the border of the war zone with “Athletes for Ukraine” – and was deeply moved.
Felix Loch is a tough guy. In 32 years of life and more than 20 years as an athlete, the Olympic luge champion has been through a lot, both good and bad. Only last year did he see his beloved home track at Königssee reduced to rubble by landslides. However, the journey to the fringes of the war left Loch in a state of sheer bewilderment.
“I will never forget what we have seen and experienced in the last few hours. It just changes everything! This war has to stop!” he wrote on Instagram after returning from the Polish-Ukrainian border. Loch had brought relief supplies there as part of his commitment to the “Athletes for Ukraine” initiative – and witnessed the misery and desperation of the refugees up close.
Eight (mini) buses from southern Germany set off for the initiative, which was launched by biathlon Olympic champion Jens Steinigen and to which numerous prominent athletes such as alpine icon Markus Wasmeier and ex-cross-country star Tobias Angerer belong. The vehicles were made available by the German Ski Association and the German Bobsleigh and Sled Association, among others.
The entourage took 47 refugees with them on the journey home – human dramas played out in the process. “Very, very, bitterly,” said Loch at Bayern 2, was the decision as to which of the many families with children, some of whom had been away for days, was allowed to be there, “because first come, first served. Man You have to get into someone else’s car and you have to drive to a foreign country, it’s extremely crass.”
The refugees initially receive accommodation from the Bavarian State Sports Association, which has opened up large sports facilities for this purpose, so they are at least physically safe from Russia’s war of aggression.
The tour is said to have been just a start for Loch, with “Athletes for Ukraine” he wants to continue fighting against the suffering on the doorstep of Central Europe. “We athletes,” he says, “after all, have an unbelievable reach in the media.”