An unauthorized solidarity action with Ukraine at the German Indoor Athletics Championships has caused anger at 3000-meter champion Maximilian Thorwirth.
"I was very angry in the race because the guys from Leverkusen were forbidden from carrying the Ukraine flag on their arms during the race," said the 27-year-old in an ARD interview after his success in Leipzig on Saturday.
"A correct explanation" was not received, "no political statements, I don't know," said Thorwirth, who ran like 3000-meter champion Hanna Klein (Tübingen) with a yellow-blue bracelet.
Before the competitions, the order came from an employee in the so-called callroom, who “spoke to the competition management.
So I wonder what we're doing here.
If we make a minute's silence and aren't allowed to carry it on our arms," said Thorwirth, who expressed his anger in an interview in the hall immediately after his run by shouting: "Disqualify me!"
At the beginning of the competition there was a minute's silence in memory of the victims of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, during which the Ukrainian flag was displayed on a video cube in the middle of the hall.
Sometimes you "of course have to think about" how to deal with rules, mature athletes and such stages and whether the rules "do not have to be adjusted", said Idriss Gonschinska, CEO of the German Athletics Association (DLV).
“Basically, the German Athletics Association made the commitment at the beginning of the event.
We feel for the Ukrainian people and we condemn any form of aggression,” Gonschinska said.
He has already spoken to Thorwirth, he can understand his emotions.
This will not be disqualified.
That was the right decision, the weighing process was not easy, Gonschinska admitted.
Thorwirth expressed doubts that the actions of the athletes would change anything, but at least they wanted to show "that we are thinking of the people".
At the moment everything else is more important than sport.