Whether Karl Geiger, Victoria Carl or Nathalie Armbruster – some well-known German athletes will be missing from the Olympics. This has different reasons.
When the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) announced its provisional 188-member squad for the 25th Olympic Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo (February 6 to 22) in January, there were few surprises. Most of the names of the athletes who will fight for medals in Italy had already been decided in advance. And yet some well-known faces have to watch the season highlight from home.
Karl Geiger – the upward trend comes too late
The most prominent example is Karl Geiger. Germany’s former model jumper had (until recently) a season to forget. It became clear early on that Geiger was looking for form. The fact that he didn’t even make it into the second round of most competitions until January surprised many people.
At the World Cup in Sapporo he had his last chance to meet the standard. Despite the improving form, a 14th place wasn’t enough in the end. Even more bitter: Since Geiger’s retirement has been confirmed, he is gradually getting closer to the top of the world again. He showed some great jumps at the Ski Flying World Championships in Oberstdorf before finally being back on the podium in Willingen after what felt like an eternity. It might be little consolation.
Luis Vogt – lost in Quota maze
The situation was somewhat different for ski racer Luis Vogt. Because he had actually broken the standard after he achieved a sensational eighth place in the descent on the Streif. However, that came too late, the nomination of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) had already been made – unlike in other countries. And Vogt, who had previously had no standard result, was not on the list.
According to a controversial quota regulation, the German men only have five Olympic starting places available. The German Ski Association once again pulled out all the stops to at least allow Vogt to take part in all training runs for the Olympic downhill so that he could step in if Simon Jocher was injured. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) rejected the application.
Nathalie Armbruster – “Excluding women is a no-go”
She is by far the most successful German combined athlete, but at the Olympic Games Nathalie Armbruster only plays a spectator role. Nordic combined is still the only sport without female participants. The IOC justifies this decision, among other things, by saying that too few nations have a chance of winning medals.
The world association FIS has already taken measures in recent years and, among other things, introduced new competition formats to increase the attractiveness. But if inclusion in the Olympic program fails in 2030, that would mean the end for the men who have always been there since the Olympic premiere in 1924. It was not for nothing that Armbruster emphasized that she was very worried about her sport. “Excluding women in the 21st century is simply a no-go“, the 20-year-old made clear in an interview with BR24Sport.
Hannes Orlamünder/Paul Gubitz – the world champions stay at home
The German lugers have been among the world’s best for years and have won title after title. This also applies to the doubles Hannes Orlamünder and Paul Gubitz, who surprisingly won World Cup gold last year. However, the German skid racers only have two starting places in the doubles at the Olympic Games, but they have three top teams. And so the six-time Olympic champions Tobias Wendl/Tobias Arlt and Toni Eggert/Florian Müller were awarded the contract. Because both duos simply presented themselves better as the season progressed.
Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal are also missing
The situation is similar for the German doubles. Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal already have two world championship titles under their belt and were also crowned European champions in January. Dajana Eitberger and Magdalena Matschina, who were able to prevail in the national selection, are going to the Olympic Games. At the Olympic premiere in the women’s doubles, only one sled per nation is allowed to start.
Victoria Carl – when the cough syrup is fatal
Four years ago she created a cross-country skiing fairytale in the team sprint in Beijing with Katharina Hennig-Dotzler, but Olympic champion Victoria Carl will be missing in Cortina. It was already known in June last year that the Thuringian had tested positive for the banned doping drug Clenbuterol. The drug is said to have been in a cough syrup that a Bundeswehr doctor prescribed to her in March.
Carl and the German Ski Association had hoped for a lenient sentence, also because the doctor had taken responsibility for the prescription. However, it quickly became clear that the strongest cross-country skier in the German team would miss the highlight of the season. Ultimately, Carl was excluded from any competitions this season and was also unable to train with the German team. It remains unclear when a final decision will be made with an exact sentence.
