ARD figure skating commentator Daniel Weiss has apologized for a controversial remark about the relationship status of Georgian skater Anastasia Gubanova. The comment during the Olympic short program drew heavy criticism. Weiss described his statement as 'absolutely inappropriate'.
On Tuesday evening, 57-year-old Daniel Weiss commented for ARD on the women's figure skating short program at the Olympics. As 23-year-old Georgian Anastasia Gubanova left the ice and awaited her scores, he said: 'Gentlemen out there, I'm really sorry, she's unfortunately taken. Married to a former Finnish figure skater.'
The remark sparked a backlash on social media. An Instagram post criticized that Gubanova was thereby 'degraded from subject to object' and viewed as 'Wifey Material' (wife material) rather than an athlete. The post garnered over 146,000 likes by Thursday afternoon. Gubanova had achieved a personal best of 71.77 points in the short program.
Weiss, a former figure skater and German champion in 1990 and 1991, responded to the RedaktionsNetzwerks Deutschland (RND) on Thursday. He called his phrasing 'absolutely inappropriate' and expressed regret. 'It's a shame that some viewers didn't hear that before and after this sentence, I commented on Anastasia Gubanova's athletic performance with full appreciation and professional recognition,' he said. His style is to include personal information about athletes, as he knows many of them. This time, he had erred.
On Thursday evening, Weiss will comment again for ARD on the women's free skate starting at 7 p.m. Gubanova enters in sixth place for the medal decision, with Japanese skater Ami Nakai leading at 78.71 points.