BERLIN (dpa) – German athletes Benedict Doll and Eric Lesser have spoken out clearly against the sports boycott of the 2022 Olympics, but have criticized the Games in China.

“Frankly, I’m not at all a fan of awarding games to a country where such problems arise,” Dole told Sport1 portal https://www.sueddeutsche.de/sport/. Investing years of my life in it is just an important event and then from a sporting point of view I want to participate and fight for the medals.” Lesser told RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND): “I don’t think it is acceptable to expect athletes to boycott the Games.”

The International Olympic Committee in service

With the next year’s Beijing Olympics in view, both athletes see the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as having a duty. “The IOC has to wear the boot – also because of the award. On the one hand, China is not a destination for winter sports, and on the other hand, of course, because of the political situation,” the 33-year-old said. younger age “I think the IOC needs to include such issues more extensively in decisions,” said Dole, who is two years younger than him. In his opinion, the Olympics are a “very political issue”.

Recently, the USA, Australia, Great Britain and Canada announced that they will not be sending politicians to the games from February 4-20. China has been criticized for human rights abuses in its dealings with Uyghurs and Tibetans, threats against Taiwan and suppression of the democratic movement in Hong Kong.

Lesser demanded that the IOC pay more attention to sustainability when awarding the Games. The 2014 Olympic runner-up said: “The Winter and Summer Games should be the same as before, and we shouldn’t just pay attention to diplomacy.”

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 211228-99-521107 / 3