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German athletes confident of safety at Sochi Olympics

President of German Ski Association said German skiers and biathletes are completely focused on athletic results and are not going to be politicizing the upcoming Olympic Games in Sochi

BERLIN, January 27. /ITAR-TASS/. German athletes are confident that Russian law enforcement agencies will provide safety at Sochi Olympic Games that will start February 7, Franz Steinle, President of German Ski Association told Itar-Tass on Monday.

“We proceed from the fact that law enforcement agencies of the hosting state would make their best to provide safety for the fans and participants of the Games,” head of the German Ski Association stated. The Association incorporates ski race, jumping race (Nordic Combined), ski jumping, Alpine skiing and biathlon.

Franz Steinle said German skiers and biathletes are completely focused on athletic results and are not going to be politicizing the upcoming Olympic Games in Sochi. “The Olympics for our athletes are above all the most prestigious and dramatic sports event. That is why on the first place they see the sporting aspect of the Olympics. It stands to reason that each athlete has his own point of view and may speak his mind freely on certain aspects,” he stated.

Steinle explained that the Association keeps a constant liaison with German Olympic Sports Confederation (Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund, DOSB), which, in its turn, coordinates cooperation with German security services. “As far as we know, there is currently no specific data on any potential threat to security,” the agency’s source said.