“Camel racing is forbidden in Olympia”: an Algerian cyclist responds to Muster

Thursday 29 July 2021

Camel racing is forbidden in Olympia.
The Algerian cyclist responds to Muster

Azzedine Lajab is the Algerian driver who was racially abused by German sports director Patrick Muster in the Olympic individual time trial. After the scandal, the athlete spoke on Twitter. Rick Zabel finds clear words from the German cycling scene.

Algerian cyclist Azzedine Lajab responded to the racial deviation from German cycling director Patrick Muster. “Well, there is no beauty race at the Olympics, which is why I do cycling. At least I was there in Tokyo”, Lagab wrote on Twitter. The 34-year-old is considered one of the most successful cyclists in Algeria and, among other things, the national trial champion.

In the Olympic singles time trial, Muster caused a scandal when he chanted racist words to Nikias Arendt of Cologne to keep up with Lagap, who was driving in front of him. “Get the camel drivers,” Muster shouted twice, could be heard live on television. Muster apologized for his choice of words, and there was a clarification discussion with the German Olympic Sports Federation (DOSB). So far there have been no other consequences.

Then Arndt himself commented on Twitter In his own words, he was “terrified of accidents” and distanced himself from Muster. Rick Zabel, who never started the Olympics, was one of the few athletes to condemn Muster’s derailment. “On the one hand, I understand all the athletes who say nothing about it because they are afraid they will be in the crosshairs if they express their opinion or simply are no longer candidates for the European Championship, the World Cup or the Olympic Games,” wrote professional and former cyclist Eric Zabel on Instagram. “Even if I myself did not participate in the Olympic Games, I am ashamed of these statements.”

Zabel criticized the fact that there was only a “brief excuse” after the race. “Personally, I cannot understand that the BDR or DOSB did not bear immediate consequences after this behaviour.” If you want to represent Olympic values ​​and anti-racism campaigns in a credible way, then such an incident should not be tolerated.