Service dog handler Thomas Daniel, who is on duty with 26 Austrian colleagues at the Olympic Games in Paris and was himself a participant in the 2012 Olympics, is a police officer with special experience on site. Thomas Daniel has been a police dog handler since 2020, after carrying out field work in various police stations and at the Vienna emergency unit. His main task at this year’s games is protecting the Olympic delegation. Daniel was not only a participant in the modern pentathlon himself, but also worked as a supervisor at the Games in Tokyo 2021. At the 2012 Olympic Games he came 6th.
Austrian service dog handlers and defusing officers are also on duty at the Olympic Games in France. Five top police athletes have qualified for the Olympics. Top police athlete Julia Hauser will be competing in triathlon, Julian Hörl and Alexander Horst in beach volleyball, Lara Tiefenthaler in rowing and Lena Kreundl will compete in swimming.
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said: “Our police officers serve primarily as contact persons in France for the Austrian athletes and visitors. Together with the French emergency services, they are ensuring security at the largest sporting event in the world.”
Group leader Günther Marek was particularly pleased with Thomas Daniel’s additional experience and skills: “You are making a valuable contribution to the safety of all Austrians on site.”
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