German Chancellor Olaf Scholz falls while jogging, bruises his face

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz fell while jogging and sustained bruises to his face, prompting him to cancel some appointments this weekend, the government said on September 2.

In an emailed response to a query about the incident, the government said that the 65-year-old German leader had “a small sports accident” and cancelled appointments Sunday in the central Hesse region, where a state election is being held on October 8. But it said his appointments next week won't be affected, ABC News reports.

The Hesse-based Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper first reported on Saturday's incident. It cited a prominent lawmaker with Scholz's center-left Social Democrats, Michael Roth, who had invited the chancellor to his home town of Heringen and planned a discussion event with him there on Sunday.

Scholz has led Germany since December 2021. He previously served as the country's finance and labour minister, and as mayor of Hamburg.

In a profile on his party's website, Scholz says that he hated sports when he was at school but acquired a taste for it from his wife, Britta Ernst. “Today I jog as often as I can,” he says.

Scholz says he tries to find time for jogging, rowing or walking two or three times a week and also enjoys cycling.