German Chancellor Olaf Scholz tweeted a picture of himself with a pirate-style black eye patch and dark-red bruises on the right side of his face on Monday. This unusual appearance was the result of a jogging accident over the weekend.
In the caption, the chancellor wrote, “Am excited to see the memes.”
To alleviate any concerns about his health, Scholz smiled slightly in the photo, which appears to have been taken at the chancellery. He also added, “Thanks for the well wishes, it looks worse than it is!”
Scholz had fallen while jogging on Saturday, leading to facial bruises and prompting the cancellation of some weekend appointments, as announced by the government.
His spokesperson informed reporters in Berlin on Monday that the chancellor was in good spirits, considering the circumstances. “He was in quite a good mood this morning but still looks a bit battered,” said Steffen Hebestreit, adding that the photo was published “so that everyone can get used to how he will look in the next week or two.”
On Sunday, the 65-year-old German leader canceled appointments in the central Hesse region, where a state election is scheduled for October 8th. However, he was expected to attend public appearances later on Monday in Berlin.
Local media reported that Scholz had fallen while running in his hometown of Potsdam, which is located 28 kilometers (17 miles) southwest of the German capital.
Scholz has been leading Germany since December 2021. He previously served as the country’s finance and labor minister and as the mayor of Hamburg.
In a profile on his party’s website, Scholz mentioned that he disliked sports when he was in school but developed an interest in them through his wife, Britta Ernst. “Today I jog as often as I can,” he stated. Scholz tries to find time for jogging, rowing, or walking two or three times a week and also enjoys cycling.
