German Olympic Rower Nadja Drygalla Goes Home Early Over Alleged Neo-Nazi Connection

Nadja Drygalla, a member of the German Olympic women’s eight rowing team, has left the Olympic Village in London for home after allegations surfaced that she is connected to a neo-Nazi political party according to Yahoo! and many other news agencies.

According to Yahoo! Sports, “Drygalla’s boyfriend is reportedly a leader of the Rostock National Socialists, a group German intelligence describes as neo-Nazi and racist.”

USA Today has more on the Nadja Drygalla story:

The national Olympic association’s general director, Michael Vesper, said he and German rowing officials held a meeting with Nadja Drygalla in which she “stressed credibly” that she “is committed to the values of the Olympic charter.

…Vesper says Drygalla said she would leave the Olympic Village to avoid any “burden for the Olympic team.”

The controversy over whom Nadja Drygalla is dating had no effect the rowing team itself in the Olympics. The German team had already been eliminated from the Olympic competition as of Thursday as it failed to qualify for the final round.

Germany’s national rowing association apparently anticipates looking into the matter further after the conclusion of the Summer Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) plans no action in the Nadja Drygalla situation, however, because she has done nothing wrong at the 2012 London Olympics.

An IOC spokesman said “I don’t think it’s an issue for us because she hasn’t said or done anything related to the Games.”

Multiple news reports also indicate that Nadja Dyrgalla, a former  police trainee, had to resign from the police force in northeastern Germany in 2011 because of alleged neo-Nazi ties.

With tongue in cheek, a GlobalPost columnist writes that “Gone are the days when only dopers and drug cheats were kicked out of the Olympics. Add Nadja Drygalla’s name to an ever-growing list that includes racist tweeters, drunk drivers and lazy badminton players.”