Olympics: De Maiziere demands sustainable Russia sanction from IOC

Federal Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere calls on the IOC to impose lasting sanctions on Russia in the state doping scandal.

“It has to be done in such a way that it holds. Otherwise, there could be a psychological and communicative setback that we do not want,”said de Maiziere on the fringes of the 14th anniversary of his death. General meeting of the German Olympic Sports Federation (DOSB) in Koblenz.

“I don’t know the facts, but I am confident after the last decisions of the IOC that the corresponding hardness will be proven to hold,”he added. Referring to the lifelong bans on 25 Russian athletes from the Olympic Games, de Maiziere said:”There have already been” harsh punishments “that are” right “.

Speaking of the persistent, decisive denial of any misconduct by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Witali Mutko, de Maiziere said:”We know that those affected are defending themselves against it, and I am not surprised by that.

The IOC wants to announce a general penalty against Russia next Tuesday, including the exclusion of the Russian team from the Pyeongchang Winter Games (9th place). till 25. February) is in the room.

“According to my understanding, after all the information I have, there is a lot of evidence that there will be a very clear-cut decision situation,”said DOSB President Alfons Hörmann:”I hope that anyone who is proven to have cheated on the sports system, whether it be individual parts of the team or the entire team, will be punished in consequence and severity, that not our athletes who are hard on each other”.