Neureuther would have given back the Olympic medal

As Neureuther now reported, he wanted to protest in South Korea against the International Olympic Committee around President Thomas Bach by rejecting a possible medal. “I really wanted to win a medal in South Korea. And then, if Mr. Bach had presented me with this medal, I would not have accepted it. To set an example and show this club: Things can’t go on like this,” said Neureuther on Tuesday evening at the Augsburger Allgemeine Live event series. The 35-year-old said that the IOC's handling of the Russian state doping scandal was particularly sobering for him: “Thomas Bach knows how an Olympic participant feels. He knows how athletes feel about cheaters. At first I thought: Things are getting better with him, but things have gotten worse. Everything just keeps getting bigger, with even more money.” Nevertheless, Neureuther remains a big fan of the Olympic idea: “The Olympic movement is unique, but the Olympic idea has been really misused.” Billions of euros would be spent on new stadiums, but human rights would be trampled on. Neureuther reported that he had asked Bach several times for a personal interview - in vain. He cannot imagine his own career in sports politics: “I will never become an official because my thinking is too critical. They see that there are only yes-men around them.”

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Neureuther would have given back the Olympic medal

Felix Neureuther's torn cruciate ligament in the run-up to the 2018 Winter Olympics was not only a serious blow for the best German ski racer at the time, it may also have prevented a major sports policy statement.