Olympic champions talk about Scholz for minutes
Concluding the Olympic Games, Olaf Scholz travels to Paris. The Chancellor also pays a visit to the canoeing competitions. He sees gold medals but also has to listen to some criticism.
The two Olympic kayaking champions, Max Rendschmidt and Tom Liebscher-Lucz, sharply criticized Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz during his visit to the Olympic Games. "It's not important that politicians are only here for the next election result, but that family and friends are there," Rendschmidt told the editorial network Germany. "He should make decisions for the sport. The love for sport is always discovered when there are medals."
His teammate from the gold-winning four, Liebscher-Lucz, spoke to the Chancellor for minutes at the Stade Nautique in Vaires-sur-Marne. "I would like to see him not only at the Olympics, but also at a World Championship or German Championship. Instead, our money is cut when we celebrate successes," said Liebscher-Lucz. The Dresden native had won gold in the four with Rendschmidt and the Potsdamers Jacob Schopf and Max Lemke. They finished fifth in the double.
Financially, the missed second Olympic victory in Paris can be endured. "There's only one gold prize. Only the highest medal counts. Double performance doesn't count in Germany," said Rendschmidt. There is a 20,000 euro gold prize.
Scholz had visited the canoeing competitions with his wife Britta Ernst. Whether the Chancellor was sitting on the tribune was "irrelevant" to Rendschmidt. With four Olympic victories, the Essen native is the most successful German canoeist at the Summer Games.
Rendschmidt took his missed fifth gold medal in stride. "You can't always win, you have to accept that others are better," said the 30-year-old. His thanks went especially to national coach Arndt Hanisch, who "has sacrificed a lot of sweat, blood, and probably sleepless nights in the last years."
Despite their gold medal wins, Max Rendschmidt and Tom Liebscher-Lucz criticized Chancellor Scholz for focusing on political gains during the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris. Liebscher-Lucz expressed his desire for Scholz's support beyond the Olympics, mentioning the World Championship and German Championship. Despite missing out on a second Olympic gold, Rendschmidt emphasized the importance of the single gold medal, stating, "There's only one gold prize in Germany."
