Europe's news in English

COPY LINK

SPORTS

Germany to open Olympic bases to Ukrainian athletes

Ukrainian Olympic athletes will be allowed to train on German soil in preparation for the 2024 Paris Games, Germany's interior ministry announced on Wednesday.

Published: 1 March 2023 17:09 CET

Paris Olympics 2024

The IOC has said it is examining a "pathway" for Russians to take part in the summer Games, competing under a neutral flag. File Photo: Benoit Tessier/Reuters/Ritzau Scanpix

We want to make our contribution, to help Ukrainian sportsmen and women in their preparation,” German Sports Minister Nancy Faeser said in a statement.

“We will allow Ukrainian sportsmen and women to train in Germany and prepare for international competitions”.

Ukrainian athletes will be allowed to access Olympic training bases located across Germany in preparation for the Olympics and Paralympics.

Faeser said “Germany is showing solidarity” with Ukrainian athletes “hit hard by the horrific Russian war of aggression.”

At the end of January, Ukrainian Sports Minister Vadym Gutzeit estimated that 220 Olympic athletes or coaches have been killed, while at least 320 training bases and facilities have been destroyed since the war began in February 2022.

Ukraine won one gold, six silver and 12 bronze medals at the 2021 Tokyo games, along with 98 medals including 24 gold at the Paralympics.

The announcement mirrors a similar policy for Syrian athletes fleeing conflict in the lead up to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Syrian swimmer Yusra Mardini utilised these facilities and was one of ten athletes who competed in the Rio Olympics for a Refugee Team.

READ ALSO: Germany’s Interior Minister rules out ‘unthinkable’ bid to host 2036 Olympics

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.

Become a Member to leave a comment.

Bayer Leverkusen win first Bundesliga title, ending Bayern Munich's 11-year run

Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen knew a victory on Sunday would secure the title with five games to spare, and there were no signs of nerves in a dominant performance.

A hat-trick from Florian Wirtz and goals from Victor Boniface and Granit Xhaka extended their unbeaten run to a stunning 43 games in all competitions.

Leverkusen’s maiden title, coming after five second-place finishes in their history, keeps their dream of a remarkable treble alive while shedding their unwanted ‘Neverkusen’ nickname for good.

With 10 minutes to go, the long-suffering fans began making their way to the sidelines and a few jumped the gun, storming the pitch with the match still ongoing.

Incredible scenes as Bayern Leverkusen win the German League for the first time ever in their 120-year history.

They also ended Bayern Munich’s run of 11 consecutive league titles.pic.twitter.com/dsuUWm4NsI

— Tanay Jaipuria (@tanayj) April 15, 2024

Leverkusen’s players ushered the fans back and some obliged, albeit briefly, with the stands swiftly emptying on the 90-minute mark as tearful supporters made their way onto the turf to celebrate with the players.

Leverkusen are now on 79 points – the best tally after 29 games in German league history – and are 16 clear of second-placed Bayern Munich and third-placed Stuttgart.

“It’s impossible to describe. Personally I can’t quite grasp what we did. I needed to go back to the changing room to clear my head,” Wirtz told DAZN after the match.

“We’ve already started the party with the supporters.”

Wirtz, who moved from neighbouring Cologne at the age of 16 and grew up just 20 minutes away in Pulheim, told DAZN he “could not imagine what we would achieve at the start of the season”.

“It was when we started winning some matches, with a dominant style of play, that’s when I realised we could do a little better than just making the Champions League.”

‘Sea of red and black’

The Leverkusen bus arrived at the stadium 90 minutes before kick-off, wading through a sea of fans clad in black and red on the way to the 30,000-capacity BayArena.

Normally known as Bismarck Street, fans had stuck temporary signs saying ‘Xabi Alonso Street’ along the main road in honour of the club’s coach.

Alonso looked ahead to Thursday’s Europa League trip to London to face West Ham, making seven changes to his starting XI and benching stars Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Alex Grimaldo, the latter for the first time in the league this season.

Piero Hincapie, Grimaldo’s replacement, had an early effort at goal saved but it would be the fit-again Boniface, making his first start since mid-December, who put the home side in front.

With 22 minutes gone, Jonas Hofmann was felled in the box by Bremen’s Julian Malatini, with the referee pointing to the spot after VAR urged him to view the contact again on the monitor.

Boniface stepped up and nervelessly slotted the penalty past a helpless Michael Zetterer to send the home fans into raptures.

Hofmann was almost the provider again shortly before half-time, his pass finding Amine Adli who fired against the crossbar.

Bremen started the second-half strongly but their hopes of spoiling the party were snuffed out on the 60-minute mark, Boniface finding Xhaka who unleashed a long-range rocket before slapping his badge in front of the ecstatic home fans.

Wirtz, who came on at half-time for Adli, replicated Xhaka’s effort eight minutes later from almost the same spot on the pitch.

Wirtz added another with seven minutes remaining before sealing his hat-trick in the 90th minute as Leverkusen rid themselves of their nearly men tag in style.

Earlier on Sunday, a 36th-minute goal from Ritsu Doan took Freiburg to a 1-0 win at Darmstadt, pushing the last-placed hosts closer to immediate relegation.

Winless since October and with only two victories all year, the loss leaves Darmstadt dead last, eight points from second-last and 13 points from safety with five games remaining.

Url copied to clipboard!