“What idiotic nonsense”
German discus throwers bet on teammates – ban
01/29/2026 – 1:46 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Henrik Janssen and Steven Richter bet on their own teammates at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Now the two were punished for it.
The German discus throwers Henrik Janssen and Steven Richter have each been suspended for three months by the world athletics association World Athletics. This was announced by the Independent Integrity Commission (AIU). The two athletes placed bets on their teammates at the World Championships in Tokyo last year.
“We watched the competitions in Tokyo together on TV during the precamp and spontaneously placed a few bets on a whim. What idiotic nonsense! We extremely regret these five minutes,” said Janssen, according to a statement from the German Athletics Association (DLV).
He is said to have made three bets with a total value of 100 euros. Richter said it was a bet of 40 euros. Both athletes admitted the violations and said they were unaware that such bets were banned. After being informed, they did not place any further bets, but tried unsuccessfully to cancel the bets they had already placed.
Richter explained that they had “stupidly not read the athletes’ agreement correctly, that was clearly our mistake” and added: “Our behavior was extremely stupid. We regret this step and sincerely apologize to the entire team.”
The Integrity Commission viewed these circumstances and the lack of information about the betting rules as mitigating the punishment. AIU boss Brett Clothier said: “World Athletics’ betting rules are designed to ensure that results in our sport are determined solely by performance.” And further: “The AIU has a zero-tolerance policy towards breaches of the betting rules as they go to the heart of the integrity of the sport.” The penalties imposed are a “clear reminder” that there is no place for betting violations in athletics.
DLV board member Jörg Bügner explained with regard to the ban on the two Germans: “This incident hits us hard, the two athletes were also devastated. In the euphoria before the World Cup, they said they made thoughtless, fun bets on other disciplines with an online provider.”
