Germany's Scholz falls while jogging, cancels appointments

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz fell while jogging on Saturday and sustained bruises to his face, the German government said.

The chancellor canceled all of his commitments for Sunday, a spokesperson said. However, his appointments for the upcoming week are unaffected.

The government said that the 65-year-old German leader had "a small sports accident."

The Frankfurter Rundschau daily cited Social Democratic (SPD) lawmaker Michael Roth as saying that the chancellor had canceled a citizens' dialogue event on Saturday because "he was not feeling well."

The German leader had been scheduled to attend events in the central state of Hesse, which is to hold a state election on October 8.

The mass-circulation Bild newspaper reported that the chancellor is feeling well, but that the bruising to his face is extensive enough to warrant avoiding public appearances at the moment.

Scholz has a busy week ahead 

On Monday, the chancellor is scheduled to take part in the St. Michael's annual reception of the Catholic Church in Berlin. On Wednesday, he is to give a speech on the federal budget in the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag.

On Friday he is heading to New Delhi for the the G20 summit. 

Scholz, who leads the SPD, has been chancellor since December 2021.

In a profile on his party's website, Scholz reveals that he disliked sports during school but later developed an appreciation for jogging thanks to his wife, Britta Ernst.

"Today I jog as often as I can," he said.

sdi/lo (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)