Olympia 2018: Hörmann fears fire by Donald Trump

DOSB President Alfons Hörmann sees the rapprochement between North and South Korea in the run-up to the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang as a “splendid signal”, but fears that the US President Donald Trump will now fire an interfering fire “It remains the hope that our friend Trump will not ignite again”, Hörmann said on Thursday at the outfit of the German Olympic team in Munich.

The German Olympic Sports Federation has already been joking within the association these days:”Before Rio we had Zika, before Pyeongchang we had Trump – so the different games have their own problems.”.

About one month before the start of the Winter Games (9. till 25. February) had announced its intention to send its own delegation to the competitions in Pyeongchang, only 80 km from the demilitarised zone. Trump himself had said that he was “under the right circumstances” ready for talks with the North Korean leadership.

Hörmann sees this as “important proof that the Olympic idea continues to carry on. When asked what this meant for the German Olympic team, Hörmann said:”As little as we didn’t let ourselves be infected by hysteria before, we’re now entering the carefree or wellness mode.”

The DOSB will continue to monitor the situation “carefully” and will fulfil its responsibility towards the athletes. As a (political) guideline, Hörmann gave the athletes:”You can say what you want and should say what you feel.”