Christian Kukuk has issued a statement to refute the impression that he was excluded from the Olympic team due to his non-participation in the Aachen World Championships. According to a press release from Pferdesport Deutschland, this impression was created by Kukuk. In a statement, the Olympic champion makes it clear:
„Dear friends! I was also surprised by the press release from Pferdesport Deutschland regarding Checker’s inclusion in LA28. It left a somewhat unclear impression that I would like to correct. The crucial point is that even before the World Championships I had a conversation with the national coach in which we discussed taking Checker out of the German squad after the World Championships.
Aachen was supposed to be his last championship – the European Championship next year was never a consideration, and the 2028 Olympics are still far away. Checkers’ well-being and longevity are always our top priority, and his best interests always come before sport itself. Should Checker – who would then be 18 in 2028 – still perform at the level of recent years, the Olympic Games are by no means ruled out – just as they would have been guaranteed, I would still have remained part of the squad.
Above all, this change gives me the opportunity to make the Checkers tournament schedule significantly more individual and flexible in the meantime – always with their well-being in mind – and at the same time to focus more on young horses like Akarad, Viki van Gogh and Carrera, so that they too will one day have the chance to follow in Checkers’ footsteps.
My next tournament with Checker will be in a few weeks in Spruce Meadows, and I’m looking forward to getting back in the ring with him. Thank you for your support, Christian.“