15:10, 8 December 2013

German President refuses to attend Sochi Olympic Games

German President Joachim Gauck. Photo by Raimond Spekking/ CC-BY-SA-3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

German President Joachim Gauck refused to come in February 2014 to the celebrations dedicated to the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. This was reported by leading German weekly Der Spiegel.

"Office of the leader of the German state has already informed the Russian government about the Joachim Gauck's decision," the edition notes. The decision is explained by human rights violations in Russia and persecution of oppositionists by the authorities, the "Gazeta.ru" writes with reference to Der Spiegel magazine.

According to Der Spiegel, the German President apologized to German athletes and asked them not to consider his action as disrespect to them.

According to the Press Secretary of the German President, "there is no strict rule to oblige federal presidents to participate in solemn ceremonies or attend other events at the Winter Olympic Games," the "ITAR-TASS" reports. The Press Secretary has also reminded that Horst Koehler, the former leader of Germany, did not attend the Olympic Games in Vancouver held in Canada in 2010.