The German Olympic Sports Confederation accepts the IOC’s decision not to issue downhill skier Luis Vogt an exception nomination for the Winter Games.
After his eighth place in the Kitzbühel descent, the DOSB tried to register the 23-year-old for the Olympics even after the nomination deadline. However, the International Olympic Committee rejected a corresponding request.
“We have tried everything to help Luis Vogt to start at the Olympics with a special permit. Now, of course, we accept that the IOC follows the rules and does not grant this approval,” said Olaf Tabor, head of competitive sports at the DOSB and chef de mission at the Winter Games in northern Italy, in a statement. Accordingly, there are no plans to protest against the IOC decision – Vogt has to stay at home.
Five German starting places have already been taken
The German alpine men only have a total of five starting places for the events in Bormio. These places had already been allocated to Linus Straßer, Simon Jocher, Alexander Schmid, Fabian Gratz and Anton Grammel before the Kitzbühel descent. Only Vogt’s surprising top ten placement on the Streif ensured that the DOSB application came about.
“As all five international quota places are filled, we are unfortunately unable to nominate Luis for the games at the moment,” said Wolfgang Maier, the sports director of the German Ski Association (DSV). Vogt could only join the team if one of the five others gets injured.
Last chance to swap drivers on the day of the opening ceremony
According to the DOSB, there is a so-called Late Athlete Replacement (LAR) regulation: It states that Vogt must be registered in place of another German racing driver at least one hour before the last official training session. The deadline is 10:30 a.m. on Friday next week, the morning before the Olympic opening ceremony. Just one day later, the departure from Bormio is on the agenda.
