Berlin (dpa) – As President of the German Olympic Sports Confederation, Thomas Weikert demands that the topics of human rights and sustainability come into focus when future Olympic Games are awarded.
“Something has to happen, we all have to work towards it,” Weikert told Deutschlandfunk after the end of the Winter Games in Beijing. The 2025 Agenda shows that the human rights situation, but also the issue of sustainability, is given greater attention.
“When you see the great competition venues in China, for example for the Alpine, you still have a shady feeling. You saw white ribbons, but hardly any snow. The competition venues that were built into the mountains are very good. The question is what you will do with it in the future,” said the DOSB boss. With regard to the IOC President Thomas Bach, who has just been criticized for his dealings with China, Weikert noted that his situation was not easy, but emphasized: “One could expect a little more in terms of the human rights situation.”
Need for speech in discussion about minimum age
In the discussion about the minimum age in the course of the case of the 15-year-old figure skater Kamila Valiewa, Weikert sees a need to speak. “I come from table tennis. We had an eleven-year-old who took part in Tokyo. I said at the time: As long as this is an isolated case, you can accept it. If that should become the rule in some sports, the starting age is very early. It’s worth discussing,” said the 60-year-old.
The case of Valiewa had caused heated debates about underage top athletes at the Winter Games. Because of the European champion’s doping offense in December, which only became known during the Beijing games, the Moscow figure skating school of trainer Eteri Tutberidze came into focus. The Russian way of dealing with Valiyeva was “soulless”.