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Norway seeks to wrestle old Olympic gold medals from US

Norwegian sports historians have unearthed documentation seeming to prove that two American gold medals in wrestling at the 1904 Olympic Games should in fact have been attributed to Norway.

Norway seeks to wrestle old Olympic gold medals from US
Unnamed competitors in a wrestling match at the 1904 Olympic Games (File photo).

Shortly after emigrating from Norway, wrestlers Charles Ericksen and Bernhoff Hansen grappled their way to gold for the United States at the St. Louis Games.

But sports historians Tom A Schanke and Arild Gjerde have now succeeded in digging up documents showing that the victorious pair should in fact have been competing for their original homeland, broadcaster NRK reports.

“The Norwegian Olympic Committee now has documentation that shows that the wrestlers were Norwegian citizens,” said Schanke.

“Consequently, we should have the two golds that have been attributed to the United States. Those are our golds. We want them, even if it was 108 years ago.”

Charles Ericksen’s naturalization certificate indicates that he did not become an American citizen until March 22nd 1905, Schanke said.

As for Bernhoff Hansen, he was registered as an “alien” and most likely never became a US citizen, Schanke said.

Both lived in New York and wrestled for a club called the Brooklyn Norwegier Turnverein.

Should the International Olympic Committee accept that an error was made, the two wrestlers would go down in history as Norway’s first ever gold medal winners. By rewriting the history books, the new development would also increase the country’s total Summer Games gold-medal haul from 58 to 60.

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TRAVEL

Travel: Germany downgrades Covid-19 risk status of USA

The United States is no longer classed as a "high incidence area" by Germany - it has returned to being a "risk area".

Travel: Germany downgrades Covid-19 risk status of USA
People walking in New York in May 2020. Photo: DPA

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) changed the risk classification of the United States on March 7th.

The US was previously classed as a “high incidence area” by the RKI. These are regions where the incidence is over 200 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 residents with a period of seven days.

However, now it’s a “risk area” – which is used by German authorities to describe a region with an increased risk of infection, usually above 50 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in seven days.

Other factors are also taken into account, such as measures in place.

It means the travel requirements for people coming from the US to Germany have changed.

However, entry from the US is only permitted in a few narrow exceptions. Proof of urgent need to travel is required, German authorities say. You can find more information in the story below.

READ MORE: When are Americans allowed to travel to Germany?

What happens if I need to travel from the US to Germany?

If you are a German resident from the US, or fall into one of the exception categories, you still face strict testing and quarantine measures.

All travellers must have a negative Covid-19 test result at the latest 48 hours after they enter Germany. It must be presented to authorities if they request it.

Some individual airlines may however still say that travellers have to present a coronavirus negative test result before boarding is allowed. You should contact your airline before travel to check.

Both PCR tests as well as rapid anitgen tests are accepted if they meet the quality standards. Testing is still mandatory even if travellers are vaccinated or have recovered from a coronavirus infection. 

People returning from “risk zones” are required to self-isolate for 10 days after they arrive.

The quarantine can usually be ended with a negative coronavirus test result taken at the earliest five days after arriving in Germany.

However, states can differ on their travel regulations so check with your local authority before travelling.

Everyone entering Germany is also required to register online.

New “high incidence areas”

In the RKI’s latest travel classification list, Sweden, Hungary and Jordan are now classed as “high incidence areas” which means stricter testing and quarantine rules apply.

Areas of “variant concern” include Austria’s Tyrol region, the UK, Brazil, Portugal and Ireland. Even stricter rules apply for these regions.

You can find out more information about travel rules in our story below.

READ MORE: What you need to know about Germany’s latest rules on foreign travel

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