During the men’s individual trial, the German Competitive Sports Director of the German Cyclists’ Association made a racist statement. Patrick Muster called Nicias Arendt during his race “Get the camel drivers! Get the camel drivers! Come on!” At the time, Azzedine Lakab of Algeria and Amanuel Gebrezhabhir of Eritrea drove the car before Arendt.
ARD Nas commentator: ‘I have no words’
Commentator Florian Nass said of the statement: “It was Patrick Muster who just called. And I have to say frankly: If I really understood what he was saying, it was completely wrong, but sometimes something was wrong. Expression betrays me, words betray me.”
Moreover: “Something like this has absolutely no place in sports. This is completely underground. Sorry, I can’t think of anything. And you need to be aware of this when you participate in an international race where the cameras and microphones are set up. It’s not worth it.”
Muster has since apologized. “I was in the catering department and cheered Nikkias Arendt. In the midst of this moment and with the total burden we are carrying here at the moment, I missed the choice of words. I am so sorry, I can only sincerely apologize. I didn’t want to denigrate anyone,” Moster told DPA .
The 54-year-old wanted to encourage Arendt to catch up with the Algerian who was driving in front of the Cologne-based man. In doing so, he allowed himself to be drawn into a racist note. “We have a lot of friends of North African descent, as I said, I’m sorry,” Muster emphasized.
BDR President Rudolf Scharping was quoted in a written statement: “The statement is unacceptable. We will talk about it after the Olympics and include Muster’s apology in the evaluation, as well as the special confirmation that the German men’s team has been on the road.”
DOSB announces a reaction
The German Olympic Sports Federation announced the reaction. “Team D symbolizes the commitment to the Olympic values of respect, fair play and tolerance and lives these values in all of its sporting competitions,” said German Football Association President Alphons Hormann. “It is important that Patrick Muster apologize immediately after the competition. We will seek to have a personal conversation with him today and deal with the situation.”
“Twitter advocate. Proud student. Devoted internet specialist. Pop culture aficionado.”
