The German Alpine Club (DAV) has to deal with serious problems Accusations from German ski mountaineers in a “Sportschau” report about alleged irregularities in a medical test. According to the report, blood was taken from the athletes’ earlobes up to 60 times within a few hours during a lactate level determination for performance diagnostics in April 2024.

The ski mountaineers Felix Gramelsberger and Sophia Weßling denounced that minimum hygiene standards had not been observed. The helpers, some of whom were allegedly untrained, are said not to have changed their gloves between blood draws, but instead used them on several athletes one after the other. In the report, Gramelsberger spoke of a “crazy blood falsification.”

Public prosecutor confirms complaint against those responsible

He and Weßling filed a criminal complaint against two people responsible for dangerous bodily harm or aiding and abetting it, as well as coercion. The responsible public prosecutor’s office in Traunstein, Bavaria, confirmed receipt of the complaint from the German Press Agency. It is still unclear whether an investigation will be initiated.

“The complaint is so current that it has not yet been registered and therefore there is no file number from the public prosecutor’s office,” said a spokesman. No statement can currently be made about the “content and criminal weight of the complaint”.

Despite the criminal complaint, the DAV stands behind the two officials, the association said. “In view of the current allegations and a pending criminal complaint, the DAV is of course entitled to the presumption of innocence.”

DAV admits criticism

The DAV admitted that there were complaints after the test. According to feedback from athletes, “processes were reviewed and organizationally developed,” it said.

“The specific performance tests mentioned were carried out as part of sports science studies in cooperation with external partners and were carried out by specialist staff. Capillary blood samples from the earlobe are a common procedure for performance diagnostics in competitive sports,” explained the DAV.

Evidence of conflicts in the training environment were dealt with independently. “Discussions were held, procedures were reviewed and measures were initiated to further develop governance and protection structures. The association has drawn conclusions from this and further improved processes.” The DAV takes information seriously, examines it carefully and continues to develop structures.

“Membership in squad structures as well as nominations for international competitions and Olympic starting places are based on published criteria, documented competition results and formally regulated decision-making processes. The aim is sporting fairness and transparency,” the DAV explained the squad decision.