Now they are complete.
With Korbinian Holzer, the last man who was still missing to establish the desired target strength for the German team has arrived in Beijing.
The squad of the German national team includes 25 players.
Holzer, who is a defender at the Adler Mannheim on a day-to-day basis, ended up in Beijing on Saturday.
He had to stay at home longer because after the corona infection he initially lacked the necessary four PCR tests that everyone had to do before departure to prove their recovery.
Marc Heinrich
sports editor.
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The 33-year-old was still absent from the afternoon training because the official test results from the Chinese health authorities, who also carefully examine every Olympic visitor from abroad, were still pending.
According to sports director Christian Künast, the German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) expects Holzer to be released immediately, so that he can prepare for the upcoming tasks together with his colleagues at the end of the weekend.
"I'm very relaxed there," said Künast.
Holzer has already moved into his quarters in the Olympic Village.
Defender Marcel Brandt (Straubing) and strikers Daniel Pietta (Ingolstadt) and Stefan Loibl (Skelleftea/Sweden) were on the ice for the first time in the national indoor stadium.
The trio had initially tested positive for the virus after landing on Thursday, but the subsequent tests were negative.
“We are a tight-knit group”
“In a way, it was a shock moment.
You really wouldn't wish it on anyone to start the tournament like that," said striker Patrick Hager, who also blamed the reason for the excitement on the stricter CT value in China;
the lower this is, the more contagious a person is considered.
“We all knew that the CT values are different here.
Accordingly, it was not surprising that it recently affected infected people," said Hager.
"If you fly over here, you have to be mentally ready for it to get you."
The EHC Red Bull Munich striker expressed his confidence that the early completion has increased the chances that the mission in China will be successful.
"We're a tight-knit squad.
Many have known each other since they were young and the characters fit together," said Hager. "Now we're preparing hard for the competition."
At the latest when you take part in the opening ceremony, the final starting signal has been given, "when you walk under the rings, it's always a special moment".
Hager mentioned the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, which ended with winning the silver medal.
He described the narrowly missed sensation in the final against the Olympic athletes from Russia (3:4 after extra time) as a moving memory that is now driving everyone anew.
Hager called it a “nice feeling” that thousands of spectators were present in the stadium for the opening ceremony on Friday evening.
He and all the other athletes practiced their sport together "because we enjoy it, but also because we want to inspire people with it".
Because of the pandemic, the usual support from the stands is missing for the second year in a row - and "unfortunately, Corona is still not over".
In Beijing, too, no fans are allowed to attend the ice hockey games, "and as a result, some things are missing," as Hager said.
However, he added that "the most important thing is still on the table for all teams: the medals".
It is therefore important to cope as best as possible with the accompanying circumstances that require getting used to, “because that is what we are here for”.
This Monday, the DEB selection will play a test match against Slovakia, and on Thursday they will enter the preliminary round of the clashes at these winter games with a duel against record Olympic champions Canada (2:10 p.m. CET in the FAZ live ticker for the Olympics, in the ZDF and at Eurosport).