German team confident ahead of Winter Olympic Games

VIDEO SHOWS: GERMANY HOLD THEIR FIRST PRESS CONFERENCE IN MILAN AHEAD OF THE MILANO CORTINA 2026 WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES WITH OLAF TABOR, HEAD OF TEAM, DARIA GLEISSNER, ICE HOCKEY PLAYER, PATRICK BECKERT, SPEED SKATER / GERMAN HOUSE IN MILAN WITH ONGOING SET-UP  ++ EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: ISSUING CORRECTION TO ADD LOCATION CORTINA D'AMPEZZO FOR LOCATION OF THE GERMAN HOUSE ++ RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT  SHOWS: MILAN, ITALY (FEBRUARY 4, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all)  1. PATRICK BECKERT, SPEED SKATER, DARIA GLEISSNER, ICE HOCKEY PLAYER, OLAF TABOR, HEAD OF TEAM 2. (SOUNDBITE) (German) OLAF TABOR, HEAD OF TEAM, SAYING:    "So this mountains, where I spent my first few days, has already shown that it truly reflects what we hoped for when we returned to the Alps and to the heart of winter sports. These are places that will now provide the perfect backdrop for sporting events." 3. GLEISSNER LISTENING 4. (SOUNDBITE) (German) OLAF TABOR, HEAD OF TEAM, SAYING:    "And we will certainly have a very tough battle with the nations around us, with France, with the Netherlands, with Italy as the host country, and perhaps also with Japan, who have of course also done everything they can to get to the top. In that respect, it will be a hot race. Our goal is to get back to the total number of medals we had when we left Beijing. And with what our athletes and teams have to offer, it is quite realistic that we can get back into that range, even if in the end it will be the gold medals that decide the outcome." 5. BECKERT, GLEISSNER, TABOR LISTENING  6. (SOUNDBITE) (German) DARIA GLEISSNER, ICE HOCKEY PLAYER, SAYING:    "Yes, personally, I am of course very grateful and happy to be able to have this experience here again. And yes, it has been a long time, twelve years of hard work, and I am very happy to be able to have this experience with the team and am looking forward to tomorrow." 7. BECKERT AND GLEISSNER LISTENING 8. (SOUNDBITE) (German) PATRICK BECKERT, SPEED SKATER, SAYING:    "And now, in relation to Milan, it's actually very positive. We've arrived here, and the Olympic Village is well organised. It's a little smaller than before, the Olympic Games. However, everything we need is there. That also means the food is good and the rooms are large enough, there is enough storage space. It's very easy to find your way around, you feel comfortable, which is very, very important." 9. GLEISSNER AND TABOR LISTENING  10. (SOUNDBITE) (German) PATRICK BECKERT, SPEED SKATER, SAYING:    "The team spirit is very, very good, I must say, and I personally am also happy that the team has grown. I've seen it get smaller and smaller, and it's just nicer when there are more people involved. It's more fun, and in general, especially in recent years during the World Cups, you can tell that there's a really positive team dynamic and that everyone is happy for each other and supports each other, which is super important." 11. BECKERT, GLEISSNER, TABOR LISTENING  12. BECKERT, GLEISSNER, TABOR GETTING READY TO BE PHOTOGRAPHED 13. BECKERT, GLEISSNER, TABOR POSING FOR PHOTO CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, ITALY (FEBRUARY 4, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all)  14. VARIOUS OF GERMAN HOUSE  STORY: German Olympic Team leader Olaf Tabor is confident his team can leave the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics with as many medals as they had when leaving Beijing. “With what our athletes and teams have to offer, it is quite realistic that we can get back into that range, even if in the end it will be the gold medals that decide the outcome,” Tabor said on Wednesday (February 4). Four years ago in Beijing, the Germans won 27 medals: twelve gold, ten silver and five bronze.  The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) has nominated a record of 183 athletes for the Olympics. Tabor described the team as the biggest delegation Germany has sent to a Winter Olympics including  85 women and 98 men.    According to the DOSB, Germany is “virtually unbeatable” on the ice track in bobsleigh, luge and skeleton. The German ice hockey teams are sending the most athletes to Italy.  (Production: Leonardo Benassatto, Lena Toepler, Christine Uyanik) 

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