LETTER FROM BERLIN
If the Olympic Games (OG) reconciled France with itself for a few weeks, they on the contrary fuelled a surprising moment of self-criticism on the other side of the Rhine: the poor performances of German athletes fuelled a discourse with declinist tendencies, going far beyond the world of sport.
Why don’t Germans do better in top-level sport? Rekindled by the opening of the Paralympic Games, the question is a concern for the local press. With thirty-three medals, the country was ranked 10thmy in the rankings for the Paris Olympics, far behind nations such as the United States, Japan and France, with which it also competes in other areas. This is its worst record since reunification in 1990.
The athletes themselves have recognized this. “We came to these games with other ambitions” “, admitted Olaf Tabor, one of the officials of the German Olympic Committee, at a press conference in early August. “ We have 82 million inhabitants. It is impossible for us not to have sporting talent. “,” sighed Jörg Bügner, sports director of the German Athletics Federation, on 9 August in Paris.
However, Germany has long been one of the most decorated nations at the Olympic Games: it is even the country that has accumulated the most medals since 1896, behind the United States, despite several exclusions in 1920, 1924 and 1948.
But “For years, German elite sport has been sinking into mediocrity,” In August, he highlighted a murderous column in the weekly The mirroradvocating, like many specialists, for a reform and for a true “social debate”. “Germany, the largest economy in the European Union, should be able to afford to practice top-level sport”The issue is not entirely trivial, the magazine concluded, as the country is questioning the sustainability of its model, weakened by the energy crisis, inflation and trade tensions with China that are shaking its mercantilist ideology.
Urgent needs for renovation
Germany’s view of itself is surprisingly grim. Before the games, former Olympic discus champion Robert Harting predicted disappointing results. “I would be very surprised if we did much better than we have in the last few major Olympic events.” He prophesied in sports illustrated. “In Germany, performance has become almost shameful, continuous. Who still dares to say today that they would like to be the best?
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