In Germany, Talk of the Olympics Centers on a Rower’s Choice of Boyfriend

This is an interesting Olympic story emerging from the German rowing team

The athlete, Nadja Drygalla, a rower on the German Olympic team, volunteered to leave the Olympic Village last week after a discussion with officials about her boyfriend’s extreme right-wing political activities.

Ms. Drygalla’s boyfriend, Michael Fischer, himself a former competitive rower, was a candidate last year in a regional election for the far-right National Democratic Party and is part of an extremist group known as the Rostock National Socialists. “I have no connection to his circle of friends and this scene, and I reject it completely,” Ms. Drygalla, 23, said in an interview with dpa, a German news agency.

Thomas de Maizière, Germany’s defense minister, said that while he welcomed Ms. Drygalla’s statement distancing herself from right-wing views, he believed some people had “crossed the line” in screening the friends and associates of athletes. Ms. Drygalla appeared shaken and vulnerable, fighting back tears as she tried to explain herself in the interview. “I’m not doing well,” she said, “the last few days have been pretty stressful and pretty surprising.”

www.nytimes.com...

What do ATSers make of this? It seems extremely harsh that she felt under so much pressure to leave the team. It's not like she is even a member of this LEGAL far-right party.

Obviously Neo-Nazi connections are an extremely touchy subject in Germany. I wonder if there are any Germans on here or anyone living in Germany who can shed some further light on this quite sad story?

I am living in Germany.
Although I agree to a zero tolerance policy against extreme right wing groups and its members, this case clearly goes too far. For one she wasn't even a member, she is an athlete participating in games that are known for keeping political prejudices aside (Or thats atleast what the olympics were about in the past).

...he believed some people had “crossed the line” in screening the friends and associates of athletes.

Absolutely, apparently that was the case. It seems like the screening system/protocol was being abused rather than used to keep the games secure.

But anyhow, the Rostock National Socialists are really one of the worst groups of neo nazis in Germany. Now if the athlete would have been part of it herself then I would agree with expelling her from the Olympic games. Tolerating such a group has nothing to do with free speech anymore. They are dangerous, intolerant and radical.

In an interview she said that her boyfriend quit the NPD in May and that he quit with being a neonazi,
I believe in the quit of the NPD but "stop being a nazi" (neonazi, I just quote) means to me he´s a mindless person. Either he followed blindless and really got some brain afterwards or he secretly followed "his" ideology.

I´m strongly against racism but I believe to open a file for every athlete where his sourroundings are checked goes to far. However, I have respect for her decision to quit the games. I don´t think its shameless because she left the team alone. Look at her and you know she might have thought herself it would draw attention (like it does now, either).

reply to post by Clairaudience


I agree,with you 100% greetings from the south

What wonders me is why Germany isn't protesting against the Iranians that are attending the Olympics.
They represent a country which leaders deny the holocaust.

If you ignore the idiotic talk from iran and give then no attention about the issue is the better way in my opinion. Although, the sportsmen and sportswomen would be the victims somehow in this case and they did nothing.

reply to post by Clairaudience

But anyhow, the Rostock National Socialists are really one of the worst groups of neo nazis in Germany

The NYtimes article has information on the group.

Recriminations over neo-Nazi activities, long a feature of German public discourse, have grown particularly acute this summer. There have been a series of resignations by senior law enforcement officials over the failure to stop a decade-long crime spree by the extreme-right National Socialist Underground, whose members have killed 10 people and robbed numerous banks. Investigators never caught up with the group. Instead, the two leading members died at their own hands, and a third gave herself up last year in the wake of a failed bank robbery.

Embarrassing investigative failures during the group’s active years have been compounded by reports of bungled efforts to cover up miscues through shredded and misplaced documents. The head of the federal criminal police will retire at the end of the year as a result. The chief of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency stepped down last month.

Sounds like a lot of incompetence and possibly insider sympathies for the group has helped keep them off the hook.