TOKYO (Reuters) – The sporting director of the German cycling federation (BDR) has been told to return home from the Tokyo Olympics after being caught on camera making racist remarks during Wednesday’s men’s Olympic road time trial, the German team said on Thursday.
“The team leadership at the Olympic Games in Tokyo has decided that Patrick Moster cannot continue his work as national team leader Cycling and will return to Germany,” the team said in a statement.
Moster had made the remarks during the road time trial event as he tried to urge on one of Germany’s cyclists.
“Get the camel drivers, get the camel drivers, come on,” he was heard shouting at Nikias Arndt, who was chasing opponents Algeria’s Azzedine Lagab and Eritrea’s Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier.
Moster apologised later blaming his remarks on ‘the heat of the moment.”
On German TV broadcaster ARD, commentator Florian Nass was left stunned, describing the comments as “totally wrong”.
“Words fail me,” he said. “Something like that has no place in sport.”
Arndt finished the time trial in 19th place, three minutes and 45 seconds behind Slovenia’s gold medallist Primoz Roglic.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
