Head of state surprised DEBteam at training and received an original jersey
Great honor for the German national ice hockey team: None other than Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (62) visited the Olympic selection of the Deutscher Eishockey-Bund on Saturday (DEB) as part of their morning training.
The German head of state and his wife Elke Büdenbender did not miss the opportunity to say a few words to the team of national coach Marco Sturm and to take photos with the entire team and the team staff. DOSB President Alfons Hörmann was also there.
As a thank you for his visit, sports director Stefan Schaidnagel, together with DOSB President Alfons Hörmann, presented the Federal President with an original jersey of the German team. "It is a special honor that the German head of state is visiting us to wish us luck for the Olympic Games," said Marco Sturm, and thanked him for this extraordinary visit, as did sports director Schaidnagel.
“Thanks to his relaxed manner, the Federal President was immediately heard by the players and even showed himself to be an ice hockey expert. It's not every day that you get such high-profile visitors. “That makes us proud and motivates us at the same time,” said captain Marcel Goc, impressed.
Steinmeier was already present at the brilliant opening ceremony the evening before to officially welcome “Team Germany”. His first of many paths to German athletes led to ice hockey.
"The fact that we are both the first sport and the first team to be visited by the Federal President at the Olympic Games is also of great importance for the external image of our entire sport," said sports director Stefan Schaidnagel: "We are proud to receive such support."