German athletes happy to compete at Olympics

German athletes’ spokesman Max Hartung says staging the Tokyo Games is a right decision in spite of the absence of spectators because Olympians want to compete.

“I have trained for five years. I am happy that I can compete,” Hartung told public broadcasters ARD late Thursday.

Hartung said he received similar feedback from others: “They are happy that they can compete, they want to do sports.”

But he also conceded: “It won’t be as exciting and emotional as in a full arena.”

Japanese officials and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided on Thursday to hold all events in Tokyo and three neighbouring prefectures behind closed doors owing to rising coronavirus infection numbers.

Hartung named the decision no surprise, saying denying spectators access was “a pity on the one side but on the other side comprehensible.”

He said he was not envious of the footballers playing in front of many fans in some stadiums at the Euro 2020 tournament.

“The images make me concerned, with the many fans and the many infections. It is sensible that it is not handled this way in Japan.

“It doesn’t seem right that it is handled in different ways,” Hartung said.