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TELEVISION

ARD mulls return to Tour de France broadcast

German state broadcasters ARD are considering screening stages of the Tour de France again after refused to show live coverage since 2012 due to doping scandals in cycling.

Published: 27 November 2014 09:10 CET
ARD mulls return to Tour de France broadcast
Photo: DPA

A decision will be taken at the end of the year, ARD chairman Lutz Marmor said on Wednesday at a press conference in Hanover.

Two years ago, both main German broadcasters ARD and ZDF pulled the plug on screening the world's top cycling race in Germany after repeated doping scandals rocked the sport.

But ARD's programme director Volker Herre says they feel the sport has made significant progress in the fight against doping in recent years.

"We are not making ourselve to be the judges of sport and cycling remains an attractive sport," Herre said. 

He also annouced that should the event find itself again gracing German televisions with a live feed, the broadcaster would also be focussing on the damage doping has done to the sport. 

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CYCLING

Swiss rider dies after fall into ravine on Tour of Switzerland

Swiss rider Gino Maeder has died from the injuries he sustained when he plunged into a ravine during a stage of the Tour of Switzerland, his team Bahrain-Victorious said on Friday.

Published: 16 June 2023 12:54 CEST
Swiss rider dies after fall into ravine on Tour of Switzerland

Maeder, 26, fell during a high-speed descent on the fifth stage between Fiesch and La Punt on Thursday, after an exhausting day marked by three ascents over 2,000 metres altitude.

He had been found “lifeless in the water” of a ravine below the road, “immediately resuscitated then transported to the hospital in Chur by air”, organisers said.

But the next day, “Gino lost his battle to recover from the serious injuries he sustained,” Bahrain-Victorious said in a statement.

“It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we must announce the passing of Gino Mäder,” his team wrote in a statement.

“On Friday June 16th, following a very serious fall during the fifth stage of the Tour de Suisse, Gino lost his fight to recover from the serious injuries he had suffered. Our entire team is devastated by this tragic accident, and our thoughts and prayers are with Gino’s family and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time.”

“Despite the best efforts of the phenomenal staff at Chur hospital, Gino couldn’t make it through this, his final and biggest challenge, and at 11:30am we said goodbye to one of the shining lights of our team,” the team said in a statement.

Maeder had enjoyed a strong start to the season, finishing fifth in the Paris-Nice race.

American rider Magnus Sheffield also fell on the same descent from Albula, during the most difficult stage of the race with multiple climbs. The Ineos-Grenadiers rider was hospitalised with “bruises and concussion,” organisers said.

On Thursday, world champion Remco Evenepoel criticised the decision to compete on such a dangerous road.

“While a summit finish would have been perfectly possible, it wasn’t a good decision to let us finish down this dangerous descent,” the Belgian wrote on Twitter.

“As riders, we should also think about the risks we take going down a mountain.”

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