Cycling official Patrick Moster is now sent home early after his racist derailment.
One day late, the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) decided that the sports director of the Association of German Cyclists (BDR) had to leave the Olympic Games.
In the Olympic individual time trial, Moster caused a scandal when he cheered on Nikias Arndt from Cologne with racist words to catch up with Azzedine Lagab from Algeria and Eritrean Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier. Moster shouted: “Get the camel drivers, get the camel drivers, come on.” The words were easy to understand through the external microphones of the TV stations. Moster had apologized for his choice of words, and there had been a clarifying discussion with the DOSB. The day after, the association announced the consequences.
Lagab reacted beforehand to the racist derailment of sports director Moster. “Well, there is no camel race at the Olympics, so I do cycling. At least I was there in Tokyo, ”Lagab wrote on Twitter. There was much praise for his reaction among users on the Internet and criticism of the German functionary, who now has to leave Tokyo after there were no consequences on the day of the incident.
After Arndt himself, Rick Zabel, who did not start at the Olympics, was one of the few athletes who condemned Moster's derailment. "On the one hand, I understand all athletes who say nothing about it because they are afraid of being in the line of fire if they express their opinion or are simply no longer nominated for a European Championship, World Cup or Olympics," he wrote Professional and son of the former cyclist Erik Zabel on Instagram. "Even if I am not at the Olympic Games myself, I am ashamed of the statements."
Zabel criticized that there was only a "succinct excuse" after the race. “Personally, I cannot understand that the BDR or DOSB did not take immediate consequences after this behavior.” If one wanted to represent Olympic values and anti-racism campaigns in a sustainable manner, such an incident should not be tolerated. The day after, the DOSB acted.
The world cycling association UCI reacted with clear criticism of the incident. The association deeply regrets Moster's words, it said in a message from the world association after the race on Wednesday. “This remark goes against the values that the UCI represents, promotes and defends. There is no place for racism in sport. ”The UCI will continue to work to eradicate all forms of discrimination in cycling and to advocate diversity and equality. There was no talk of any further consequences from the UCI.
“I was in the catering department and cheered on Nikias Arndt. In the heat of the moment and with the overall burden we have here at the moment, I have missed my choice of words. I am so sorry, I can only sincerely apologize. I didn't want to discredit anyone, "Moster told the German Press Agency on Wednesday.
Arndt sharply condemned what had happened. "I am appalled by the incidents at today's Olympic time trial and hereby would like to distance myself clearly from the statements of the sporting director!", Arndt wrote on Twitter. "The statement is not acceptable," emphasized Rudolf Scharping, President of the Association of German Cyclists, but, like Moster himself, referred to the "particular stress" of the men's team in Japan. "We ourselves have many friends with North African roots, as I said, I'm sorry," said the 54-year-old Moster.
The German Olympic Sports Confederation quoted Moster for a conversation on Wednesday. "It is important that Patrick Moster apologized for today's statements immediately after the competition," said DOSB boss Alfons Hörmann after an "open and self-critical discussion". It had become clear that Moster is “extremely sorry. Both he and the entire team will gain the necessary sensitivity for future competitions. "