DOSB boss defends German Olympic athletes after harsh criticism
· Yahoo Sports
The chairman of the German Olympics body DOSB has defended the German athletes after they received harsh criticism for their performance at the Milan/Cortina Winter Games, which ended on Sunday.
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"It's not a disaster as some couch athletes like to say," Otto Fricke said, referring to the spectators watching the Games on TV.
"But it's not a brilliant performance either," he told broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk.
Germany finished fifth in the medal table - eight gold, 10 silver and eight bronze - falling short of expectations.
Germany had 14 fourth-place finishes in the Olympics, more than any other nation.
"I personally always say that fourth is the new platinum, because it's world class. It's frustrating for the athletes, I think everyone knows that coming fourth was always a bit frustrating, but we as a society have to deal with it differently," Fricke said.