When the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, went to congratulate the kayaker Max Rendschmidt after his team’s gold medal-winning run in the K-4 500m sprint in Paris on Friday last week, the exchange – according to onlookers – was curt.
Rendschmidt, though euphoric about his Olympic win, used the opportunity of meeting Scholz to speak frankly about the challenges he and his fellow athletes are facing, including budget cuts and poor training conditions. He told the chancellor his colleagues did not want to be taken seriously only because they had enjoyed success.
