'Olympic Two-Time Champion' German Luge Athlete "I Will Never Go to China Again"

Natalie Geisenberger of Germany, gold medalist in luge at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] Natalie Geisenberger, the German national athlete who won two gold medals in luge at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, stated that she will never go to China again.

On the 19th, Hong Kong Ming Pao cited German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle reporting this. According to the report, on the 16th, after returning to Germany, Geisenberger expressed in an interview, "I hesitated for a long time about whether to participate in the Olympics due to concerns including human rights issues."

Geisenberger said, "While preparing for the competition, I tried not to think about such issues, but now I will never go to China again," adding, "I cannot understand the International Olympic Committee (IOC) granting China the right to host the Winter Olympics," and criticized, "Athletes often feel powerless when faced with such situations."

She continued, "I could not give up my dream of winning the gold medal, and my family supported me a lot for my dream, so I went to China for the competition to fulfill my duty," but added, "Now that I am home, I will never go to China again." Ming Pao emphasized, "Thomas Bach, IOC President, stated at a press conference that this Olympics was very successful and the athletes were satisfied, but the German two-time gold medalist said she will never go to China again."

Meanwhile, earlier on the 16th, Nils van der Poel, the Swedish national athlete who also won two gold medals, made a similar criticism in an interview immediately after returning home, saying, "The IOC is extremely irresponsible for handing over the Olympics to a country like China that blatantly violates human rights."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.