Overview

• At the August 1 opening ceremony in Torgau, organisers unexpectedly played the historically charged first stanza of the Deutschlandlied instead of the officially recognised third stanza.
• The Deutscher Feuerwehrverband immediately stripped the responsible volunteer of all duties within the association.
• Vice President Hermann Schreck publicly condemned the incident as incompatible with the organisation’s democratic values.
• Nordsachsen police reviewed the case and determined the anthem mix-up did not constitute a criminal offence under German law.
• More than 600 firefighter athletes continue competing for national titles as organisers stress that only the third stanza of the anthem remains official.