German television broadcasts exhibition event with national team

Sports are having to work extra hard to navigate the current restrictions in place to combat COVID-19 while still preparing athletes for future events.

In Germany, the ban on competition through the summer has meant the national circuit – due to culminate in finals in Wiesbaden – had to be abandoned. But rather than cancel the showcase, German broadcaster ZDF carried coverage of an exhibition cup featuring members of the national recurve team.

Lisa Unruh and Florian Kahllund won the individual events, while the pairing of Michelle Kroppen and Cedric Rieger took the mixed team competition.

The German team has been practising in a bubble at the national training centre for the past few months. No spectators were allowed to attend the German Cup – and the athletes wore an advert for the country’s COVID-19 tracing app on their shirts.

It is the first time in months the squad has competed in public and almost four years to the day since Lisa Unruh won silver at the Olympic Games in Rio.

She has spent 2020 recovering from a shoulder injury.

“In the last few months, I have seen this group of athletes grow closer together, the men and the women, which is great for a national coach to see. And we need this kind of close competition to improve performances,” coach Oliver Haidn told DSB.de.

“The German Cup is a great opportunity for our best athletes to gain competition practice and to showcase archery in Germany.”

The German Cup was held alongside similar events from athletics and canoe as part of the federations’ project to combine national championships in Germany.