Linus Strasser reports on grotesque selfie scenes in Bormio, while in Milan people cheer (in vain) both in the ice rink and in the pubs. These are the Olympic splinters from Friday.
20.02.2026, 18:31
20.02.2026, 18:48
SDA
Kiss with consequences in the stands
Joep Wennemars' father provided one of the weirdest Olympic moments during the 1500 m race. After his son's supposed record run, Erben Wennemars, former speed skating world champion and two-time bronze medal winner at the 2006 Winter Games, cheered so hard that he planted a kiss on a stunned volunteer - including breaking the helper's glasses. When he noticed the damage, he apologized immediately and repeatedly, but carried on celebrating. In sporting terms, however, it was a bitter pill to swallow: three athletes overtook him in the final pairs, leaving Joep Wennemars in 4th place.
Cheering in waves
Not all Canadian ice hockey fans in Milan got a ticket for the semi-final against Finland. Many made their way to the famous Navigli district and joined in the excitement in front of the numerous pubs. The only problem was that the bar owners' televisions were anything but synchronized, sometimes up to a minute out of sync. This led to some wonderfully weird scenes. While some were annoyed about a missed goal chance, others were already applauding a save by the Canadian goalie.
Fans behind bars
After his harsh criticism of the circumstances at the Olympic races in Bormio, German ski racer Linus Strasser explained his anger once again. "It wasn't a spontaneous expression out of sporting disappointment. I said it because I am convinced that we athletes have to open our mouths sometimes," the 33-year-old wrote on Instagram. In his interviews in the finish area, Strasser had criticized the separation of the athletes from the fans with distant grandstands in Bormio. "Olympic Games need real closeness, real fans, real enthusiasts who support us, suffer with us, make us better, forgive us and comfort us when things don't go well," Strasser now explained with a little distance and reported on an experience with four children who were separated by bars and had difficulty handing over their autograph books to Strasser. "A selfie request was grotesque to fulfill because it didn't look like a happy encounter," Strasser wrote.
