'Get the camel drivers': German official apologises over racist remarks

28 July 2021 - 12:32 By Reuters
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Men's Individual time trial on day five of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Fuji International Speedway on July 28, 2021 in Oyama, Shizuoka, Japan.
Men's Individual time trial on day five of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Fuji International Speedway on July 28, 2021 in Oyama, Shizuoka, Japan.
Image: Michael Steele/Getty Images

Patrick Moster, the sporting director of the German cycling federation (BDR), has been forced to apologise after he was caught on camera making racist remarks during the men's Olympic road time trial on Wednesday.

"Get the camel drivers, get the camel drivers, come on," said the German official said as he urged his rider Nikias Arndt who was chasing opponents Algeria's Azzedine Lagab and Eritrea's Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier during his time trial effort.

On German television, ARD commentator Florian Nass was left stunned, describing the comments as "totally wrong".

"Words fail me," he added. "Something like that has no place in sport."

Moster has since apologised for his comments, which he said were made in the "heat of the moment".

"I was in the feed zone and cheered on Nikias Arndt," he told German DPA news agency.

"In the heat of the moment and with the overall burden that we have here at the moment, my choice of words was not appropriate.

"I am extremely sorry and can only offer my sincere apologies. I didn't want to offend anyone."

Arndt finished the time trial in 19th place, three minutes and 45 seconds behind Slovenia's gold medallist Primoz Roglic. 

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