February 2002 - Nr. 2
Olympic Focus
German National Team’s Arrival in Salt Lake City
TWIG - When the XIXth Winter Olympic Games opened Friday (February 8), the black, red and gold of the German flag was proudly borne by slalom Olympic medallist Hilde Gerg, 26. The athlete, only the second woman to be chosen for this honour, led the German delegation before an audience that included U.S. President George Bush, German Ambassador to the U.S., Wolfgang Ischinger, and Interior Minister Otto Schily.
Members of the German national team began arriving in Salt Lake Monday (February 4). More than half of the 158 athletes representing the Federal Republic were welcomed at a Wild West-flavoured reception featuring Native American dancing and cowboys wielding lassoes and whips. Afterward, team members began settling into their accommodations at the Olympic Village. National Olympic Committee president Walther Troeger called the village, "gorgeous" and women’s ice hockey team member Maren Valenti said, "We have everything, we are given everything, we lack for nothing. It is just perfect." Team captain Karin Orgeldinger remarked, "What really stands out is the friendliness of the volunteer aids, some of whom even speak German."
After the German team’s stellar performance four years ago at Nagano, expectations and performance pressures are high, making a relaxed off-stage environment all the more critical for the athletes. Troeger, 73, a veteran of more than 30 years of involvement with the German Olympic presence, says, "Given the results of this season and last, it’s reasonable to expect that we’re vying for the number one spot on the podium. I regard the U.S. and Russia as our stiffest competitors." Sports analysts estimate Germany could go home with as many as 17 medals this year.
Although medals are not awarded for team dress, the German uniform would be a serious contender if they were. Athletes sport padded snow-white pants and parkas splashed with orange and trimmed in fake fur. These ensembles are topped off with knitted white caps, featuring earflaps and chin ties, and brightened with a band of blazing geometric designs, creating a vaguely Nordic, 1970s look. The eye-catching uniforms were designed by the German National Olympic Committee (NOK) in cooperation with German sport clothing companies Bogner and adidas, among others.
