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The Local's top ten sports stories of 2012
Published: 27 Dec 12 08:25 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/lifestyle/20121227-46923.html
It was a bumper year for European sports fans, with the London Olympics and the Euro 2012 football championship - but it wasn't always a shining trail of glory for Germany's athletes. The Local looks back at the year's sporting highs and lows.
- Police put Germany on terror alert for CL final (25 May 13)
- Fan wants Bayern ticket-Oktoberfest beer swap (24 May 13)
- Dortmund's Götze ruled out of Wembley final (23 May 13)
And though Germany finished a solid sixth in the Olympic medals table, with 11 golds and 44 medals in all, the final tally was well below expectations. There was disappointment at the failure of the swimmers in particular to make a splash.
Elsewhere, illustrious eras ended in both football and Formula One, as the long, battle-scarred careers of Michael Ballack and Michael Schumacher finally drew to a close, while one of the country's most illustrious motor racing tracks faced financial meltdown. Here's our review of the sporting year:
Before the summer of sport even started, German spirits were laid low after Bayern Munich were bashed at home in the Champions League final:
Misery in Munich after Chelsea win Champions League
And then even before Euro 2012 got going, the controversy of Ukraine's human rights record took hold. There was even talk of boycotting the tournament because of the imprisonment of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. We asked you to have your say:
Should soccer be used as a political football?
And the German team got into an unseemly row with Germany's Central Council of Jews over a visit to Auschwitz:
German team hits back at Auschwitz visit criticism
In the competition itself, the much-fancied, well-oiled German machine ended up being dumped out by some old rivals:
Ciao! Italians kick Germany out of Euro
The Olympics were not without controversies of their own, first because a star high-jumper had to deal with a stalker who sent her pictures of his genitals:
Stalker fined for sending genital pic to high jumper
And then Ex-Olympic rower Nadja Drygalla made headlines when she left the Games - or was forced out - because it emerged that her boyfriend was a neo-Nazi. We asked you if athletes can represent their country regardless of who they mix with?
Can a Nazi's lover represent Germany?
Team Germany may missed its medals targets, but the London Olympics brought many tears of joy and despair:
Germany's triumphs and disasters at London 2012
Elsewhere in the sporting universe, German motor sport was rocked by the financial woes and possible demise of one of its most venerable race tracks:
Iconic Nürburgring track heads into final lap
And an F1 legend took his final bow:
Schumi calls it a day
As did another sporting hero - former national football team captain Michael Ballack. And it turns out he was more hard up than many imagined:
Ballack: I'm too poor to pay speeding fine
The Local/bk
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Merkel: business must fight immigrant prejudice
Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday called on Germans to fight prejudice against immigrants ahead of next week's integration summit. READ () »
Chinese premier visit to strengthen trade ties
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday as the two export powerhouses seek to further strengthen economic ties amid brewing trade spats between Beijing and the EU. READ () »
Skyscraper festival hits new heights in Frankfurt
Frankfurt city skyline is being celebrated this weekend with a skyscraper extravaganza. Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to witness spectacular events, daring feats and music in the sky. READ () »
Police put Germany on terror alert for CL final
German security services have been put on high alert after picking up terror warnings for public viewings of Saturday night's all-German Champions League final. READ () »
Helicopter sprays 220 kids with insecticide
15 young children were taken to hospital late on Friday after bug-busting authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia accidentally dumped toxic insecticide over a primary school during playtime. READ () »
Bundesbank chief: allow eurozone defaults
The head of the German central Bundesbank Jens Weidmann said on Friday that eurozone countries should be able to default, a possibility which the EU has gone to great lengths to avoid during the current crisis. READ () »
Fan wants Bayern ticket-Oktoberfest beer swap
A Bayern Munich supporter is so desperate to get his hands on a ticket for Saturday's Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund he is offering to trade 20 litres of beer and a rare free table at Oktoberfest. READ () »
Nationwide cannabis limit rolls nearer
Germany could in the future have a country-wide “tolerable limit” for cannabis possession, it was reported on Friday. Currently, this amount differs between states. READ () »
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