German chancellor Angela Merkel will not comment on the decision of the nation's president, Joachim Gauck, to stay away from the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.
"You take notice of the decision of the federal president and don't comment on it," government spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Monday, naming this standard procedure between two constitutional bodies.
Seibert would not say whether Merkel was informed beforehand of Gauck's decision not to go to Russia.
He added that the government is yet to decide whether one of its members, for instance the interior minister whose portfolio includes sports, would attend the Games.
Gauck's decision, announced on Sunday, is widely seen as a response to the Russian government's violation of human rights and persecution of opposition groups.
But a spokesperson for the president's office also said there is no set protocol in place for a German head of state to attend a Winter Olympics.
Previous German president Horst Koehler also didn't go to the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada.
Gauck attended the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics, and also plans to welcome home Germany's 2014 Olympic athletes on their return to Munich from Sochi on February 24, his spokesperson confirmed.
The German president has failed to make an official state visit to Russia since taking office in March 2012.
There are protocol difficulties for a head of state to attend an Olympic Games if an official state visit has not already taken place.
However, Gauck has repeatedly criticised Russia's deficit of rule of law and treatment of critical media.
A planned visit in June 2012 failed to take place after Russian President cited time constraints.
