Olympic sailing: "Neutrality is the most important thing"

When Klaus Lahme walks through the Olympic harbour, he is never alone. The referees and jury members of the Olympic regatta in Rio de Janeiro are required to move around in pairs outside their workplaces on the water and on land and to communicate exclusively in English. In Lahme's case, this also applies to any greetings and conversations with the German sailors, whom Lahme knows well. "Our neutrality is the most important thing," says the 47-year-old managing director of the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein in Hamburg. The World Sailing Association had asked him whether he - as the only German - would like to act as a referee and jury member at the Games. "It's a huge honour for me," says Lahme, who gladly accepted.

The regatta judges do not receive a salary for their 14-day assignment. They are merely reimbursed for their expenses, but in return they gain a deep insight into the highlight of Olympic sailing, which takes place every four years. Klaus Lahme is one of the few certified German "International Judges" and "International Race Officers" who are allowed to work at high-calibre regattas worldwide.

Lahme is also taking part in Rio de Janeiro because he wants to learn. He has been intensely interested in the complex rules of sailing since his regatta days. According to the experienced rule watcher, regattas on the water are almost exclusively about pumping, which is prohibited under Rule 42. So far, according to Lahme, there have only been a few breaches of the rules. This in turn is due to the high standard of the participants. Philipp Buhl has also sailed absolutely in accordance with the rules so far.

Lahme is not worried by the fact that, as an umpire on the water, his decisions, which always have to be agreed by both umpires in a boat (three of whom are on duty in each race), could also influence medal decisions: "You have to be able to take on this responsibility." At evening protest hearings, Lahme is one of five members of a jury that conducts and decides on protest hearings. It is an unwritten law that no arbitrators from nations from which the protesting parties originate sit on a jury.