The Epoch Times conducted an interview with the German Olympic fencing athlete Ms. Imke Duplitzer who lost in the quarter-finals to Ildiko Mincza-Nebald with a score of 11:15.
Ms. Duplitzer explained that in fencing, one’s performance depends greatly on one’s physical condition on the day of competition.
“Actually, once I overcame the jet lag, I felt well in Beijing. But for some reason, August 13 was not my day. I labored hard during the practice and qualifying trials. I did not feel well during the first bout with the Panamanian competitor; but thought I had done alright,” Ms. Duplitzer said.
“Then all of us thought, ‘Now the locomotive is on a run.’ But it was not enough against Ms. Minca-Nebald. But she is not a newcomer. Those are the days when one realizes nothing is coming together - the head does not accord with the legs, the legs don't cooperate with the hands, and the hands are good for nothing. Sometimes it might be possible to compensate, but a day like that seldom leads to success.”
Disappointed? “Yes, somewhat. After all, I had slaved for a year to qualify…and then got fifth place. But not everyone can win a medal - only three are available.”
Ms. Duplitzer says she did not get much chance to visit Beijing because the team was staying a short distance from the fencing hall.
I held a conversation with an Italian colleague who commented pointedly that all this amounts to nothing but a surreal theatrical performance; everything artificial, like a façade, a prop.
“One could have traveled on foot, which would have taken five minutes; but with the shuttle bus it took us 20 minutes. The bus had to maneuver around 500 corners, and 300 safety check points. Looking at it from an organizational standpoint, they did fine. On the other hand, it was over-organized. Much ado at the safety check points, and 'service' was overdone. We could not even hold our coffee mugs under the serving spout - everything was done for us. This came to a head on the shuttle bus, when the bus hostess asked, ‘Do you know the way out of the bus?’ Those are moments when one wonders, ‘Do they still have all their marbles?'"
Ms. Duplitzer addressed the "over-service" and sense of surveillance, “Most noticeable was the fact that one was never left alone - when moving about the Olympic Village, or desiring to sit in the garden; there was always a Chinese person present, and almost every minute someone came by to pull a weed or clip a few blades of grass; someone always fussed around me. That had me question, ‘Are these people really here to pull weeds or clip a few blades of grass, or are they here to observe what we [athletes] are doing?’ The only serene spots in all of Beijing were probably the protest parks.
“We athletes had also heard that that a pro-Tibetan group had attempted to hold an impromptu press conference in a hotel. The ‘hotel employees’ foiled this within minutes, with highly professional beating techniques, but officially these were ‘hotel employees.’
“We had written an open letter to Hu Jinatao admonishing him to uphold human rights. It was published in several newspapers, but then the Internet site was blocked. It led to problems, because we could not access specific pages in the Sueddeutsche and Zeit newspapers because of their critical reporting.
"These incidents also made us unable to shake a permanent feeling of being monitored and having one's freedom curtailed. This took grotesque forms. I held a conversation with an Italian colleague who commented pointedly that all this amounts to nothing but a surreal theatrical performance; everything artificial, like a façade, a prop. I spoke with several athletes from various nations who agreed that these happenings are not in the spirit of a free Olympics."
As for the IOC, Ms. Duplitzer was frank, “But there were games played in which the IOC committee and the CCP were in cahoots; how practical! The IOC offers the ‘Olympic Brand’ and the CCP sells it worldwide.
“Mr. Rogge's comment regarding Internet censure, ‘… we were a bit naïve,’ is a telling moment. Funny - when those things are concerned they call it naïve, but when money is at stake, suddenly they have found their métier.”
As for reactions to her own voicing of opinions and thoughts regarding the Olympics in Beijing and about Sotschi, Imke shared, “Yes, the majority considers it great that athletes won't tolerate others forbidding them freedom of opinion, or park their brains in the locker room; but I received many abusive emails. It culminated in this one, ‘Haha! God is a Chinese!’ Perhaps he thought it served me right to lose, because I think independently and have other opinions. Many of the emails scold me, verbally abuse me and they are inarticulate. Many also said that China could not be the way I described it, and how do I have the nerve to even comment on this. Some others are searching for misguided connections to things - unbelievable! Some of it I won't even read anymore.
“I do want to tell you how sad I am that Britta Heidemann and I are always portrayed as antagonists. Certain ignorant people are so simplistic. Britta and I do have differences of opinion, but we are a team. I was very happy for her receiving the gold medal.”
As for what she was doing during the opening ceremony, Imke, with a straight face said, “I was in bed, with a good book and a beer. How fitting - the book was about the Cold War.”
Ms. Duplitzer is now looking forward to her vacation in South of Germany.
“I deserve that.”
Background
The Beijing Olympics are Imke Duplitzer’s fourth Olympic Games, with the first in 1996, followed by 2000 and 2004. She chose not to participate in the opening ceremonies for this year’s Games. This epee fencer [an epee fencer is not restricted to hit any body part of the opponent with the tip.] spoke about human rights and her point of view as an athlete of the human rights situation in China during an interview with The Epoch Times, which was conducted before Duplitzer left for the Games.
Imke Duplitzer won the silver medal in the epee competition with her teammates in 2004; Runner-up in the single 2002; European Champion 1999; Military Champion 97/99; German Champion 1999–2002/2004/2006); won multiple medals with her team when competing at world and Europe championships.
Scoring
Modern fencing uses electronic scoring during most international, national and local fencing matches. There are 3 types of scoring, each with a different set of rules.
Foil scores are used when the "main body of the opponent is struck with the tip of the blade," according to the eHow.com. "The saber can use the flat of the blade and the tip; the arms and head are legal targets. The epee can score hits on the entire body, as well as allowing double hits and foregoing the right-of-way rules." A fencer generally wins the match when his/her score is 2 scores higher than that of the opponent.
A saber has a "flexible triangular blade," a foil is "a light, flexible thrusting weapon with a blunted point" and an epee "is a straight, narrow, stiff thrusting weapon, similar to the Middle Eastern scimitar," according to the Answers.com.
Original Article in German: www.epochtimes.de/articles/2008/08/23/330150.html
