“I think it’s really crazy and really awesome”, said Germany’s best ski crosser Daniela Maier, who won Olympic bronze in Beijing, the Bild newspaper. The German Ski Association is at the start with eight athletes in “Sunny Valley”.
DSV in close contact with the Foreign Office
Ralph Eder from DSV told the sports show that you are in close contact with the Foreign Office, the German Olympic Sports Confederation and the International Ski Association FIS stand. Phone calls are constantly being made and the situation assessed. “At the moment I can say that our athletes are doing well.”
At the moment everything is completely normal, says Eder: “The athletes are just as far away from the war as we are here in Germany.” The “Sunny Valley” is located in the Chelyabinsk Oblast in the Federal District of the Urals, Yaroslavl northeast of Moscow.
A cancellation plans FIS not for now. “Both locations are currently unaffected by the conflict”, it said in a statement. But the situation will continue “with all involved” observed, “to ensure the safety of participants”.
Daniela Maier: “We train normally”
If the situation changes, he will DSV react immediately, says Eder. “We train here, prepare as normal. But if something happens and the Foreign Office says to us: We’ll get you out now, then a plane will be sent and we’ll come home. I trust my coach and the foreign office Office that they bring all ski crossers of all nations home safely when push comes to shove”, says Maier. The ski crossers flew to Russia directly from the Olympic Games in Beijing.
DOSB-President Thomas Weikert recommended the member organizations in a joint statement DBS-President Friedhelm Julius Beucher “to suspend participation in competitions and training measures in Russia and the war zones”.
There is also talk of canceling the World Cup final for cross-country skiers from March 18th to 20th, which is to be held in Tyumen, Russia. This will be discussed over the weekend.
Russia started the war
After weeks of threats, Russia launched a major attack on Ukraine on Thursday morning (February 24, 2022). According to news agencies, explosions were heard in the capital Kiev, in the southern port city of Odessa and in other cities in eastern Ukraine. Apparently, Russian troops also attacked from Belarus.
The German squad in Sunny Valley
women
- Johanna Holzmann (SC Oberstdorf)
- Daniela Maier (SC Urach)
Men
- Niklas Bachsleitner (SC Partenkirchen)
- Daniel Bohnacker (SC Gerhausen)
- Ferdinand Dorsch (SC Schellenberg)
- Tim Hronek (SC Unterwössen)
- Tobias Müller (SC Fishing)
- Florian Wilmsmann (TSV Hartpenning)
Source: red