The current decision to only allow vaccinated participants for the upcoming Hamburg Marathon is causing heated discussions.
The “Haspa Marathon” will be held again in Hamburg on September 12th of this year – according to the organizers, this is “Germany’s largest spring marathon”, which has attracted up to 25,000 participants in the past. Instead of spring, it will take place in autumn due to the corona pandemic in 2021. This time there is also a drastic innovation: Only runners “who are completely vaccinated against Covid-19” are allowed to take part in the race, as can be read on the official Facebook page of the event.
This is followed by a brief explanation of the measure: “In order to achieve this status, you must be vaccinated […] at least two weeks before the event […]. Anyone who has recovered from Covid-19 and has been vaccinated once is also entitled to start. “
Hamburg measure meets with support and rejection
The posting soon found numerous critical postings – in addition to understanding contributions that supported the measure. Although it is unanimously welcomed that the marathon will take place at all in 2021, the restriction that only people who have already been vaccinated are admitted provokes angry reactions in some cases.
Rainer H., for example, vented his displeasure with the words: “From my point of view, there is clear discrimination here: dividing people into groups with different degrees of freedom based on their immunity status is unconstitutional. According to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany, such discrimination is prohibited. It applies the requirement of legal equality and the right to personal freedom. This requirement is not observed by the ‘Haspa-Marathon Hamburg’. ”
“Compulsory vaccination through the back door”
Victor T. sees the sport curtailed in an inadmissible way by the restriction: “With the distinction between vaccinated and non-vaccinated one SPREADS the (running) society.” An indirect political intention is then assumed by Torsten T., who interprets the decision of the organizer as “mandatory vaccination through the back door”.
But approval is not neglected by the participants either. Janosch F., for example, writes: “Correct and important decision. If that is the way back to sports events, then we’d better go earlier than later. Vaccination is and remains voluntary, as is participation in such events. But if and I decide then I also have to accept the rules of the event. “
In many cases, however, a comparison is made in the comments to games in the Bundesliga, which have significantly less active participants, but attract a comparably large number of spectators. Lutz W. sums it up: “And when the ball is rolling again in Buli soon, 20,000+ can easily join the ranks. Just sad …”.
