Even Friedhelm Julius Beucher has rarely experienced so many different emotions. And certainly not such strange Paralympics. That’s why the 75-year-old has to think for an unusually long time how to sum up the conclusion of the Winter Games in Beijing in one sentence.
–
“We are leaving China with joy about the sporting successes, but also with a lot of thoughtfulness,” said the President of the German Disabled Sports Association (DBS) in an interview with the German Press Agency.
Paralympics end with ‘mixed feelings’
From the German point of view, the overlaying sadness caused by the Ukraine war, the frustration about life in the rigorous corona bubble and the anger at organizer China with difficult transports, bans on messages of peace and sometimes doubtful classified athletes are contrasted by a pleasing performance with many emotions .
“I’m incredibly happy and euphoric about the performance,” said Beucher, DBS President since 2009 and before that a member of the German Bundestag for twelve years. With a team decimated by retirements, illnesses and injuries that entered with the lowest of expectations, the DBS clinched as many medals as four years in Pyeongchang, albeit fewer golds, with 19 medals. The goal of the top 10 was achieved with seventh place in the medal table, and Germany also maintained first place in the all-time medal table. “We actually celebrate a medal party here every day, Mr. Chancellor,” revealed snowboarder Matthias Keller in a video link to Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
“We didn’t expect that and couldn’t have expected that,” says Beucher: “Above all, there were a lot of nice medals.” In addition to the renewed double Paralympic champion Anna-Lena Forster, who met the high expectations on the ski slope, 15-year-old Linn Kazmaier won gold in cross-country skiing and 18-year-old Leonie Walter, the flag bearer at the end of the year, in biathlon.
“chick-WG” collects medals
“The Black Forest girl and the Swabian girl from the ‘chick-WG’ have written a sensational story,” says Beucher with a laugh: “They should only gain experience. And then they will gain experience in winning medals. I hope that they develop a luminosity that helps us to generate offspring.”
While the youngsters seemed to be enjoying their successes calmly, many tears were shed. So with Andrea Rothfuss, who unexpectedly returned from her fifth games with a medal after bronze in the giant slalom and even put it emotionally above the slalom gold in Sochi. Or with the opening flag bearer Martin Fleig, who ended his career and, after winning gold in Pyeongchang, this time won silver in the 10-kilometer biathlon race. According to Beucher, the successes can also be attributed to the team behind the team: “Our waxers are gold waxers, our doctors are artists.”
However, much around the sport was deplorable. While the war-torn Ukrainians were successful in second place in the medal table and were celebrated and applauded in many places, numerous peace signals were stopped and prevented. According to Beucher not from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), but from the Organizing Committee (OCOG). “The OCOG had more influence on the Ukrainians than the IPC would have liked,” he says cautiously.
DBS President calls for classifications
The DBS President attests to the IPC that by excluding the Russian and Belarusian athletes, “he corrected a huge mistake within 24 hours. And the speech by IPC President Andrew Parsons was so good that it was censored on Chinese television.”
There was also dissatisfaction with the classification of many Chinese, who clearly won the most medals, although they had previously won only one medal in curling. “Doctors and physios tell me that some don’t belong in their class,” says Beucher: “We carry this specter of classification before us. We have to regulate it, otherwise there will be talk of cheating games at some point.”
The strict corona measures were meanwhile taking effect. According to an official survey available to the dpa, 519,486 tests were taken up to and including Saturday during the games. Of these, six were positive, five of them athletes or officials. (dpa)
–
