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Scandal for sports funding: Germany is fighting for Olympic future!
The debate about the reform of German top-class sport, triggered by the 2024 Olympic Games, is analyzed.
Scandal for sports funding: Germany is fighting for Olympic future!
The debate about the future of German competitive sports is currently in focus. After the disappointing results at the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024, where Germany only finished tenth in the medal table - the worst result since reunification - the question of an efficient sports funding system is becoming increasingly urgent. Under the motto “There’s something going on!” Athletes and associations are calling on those responsible to finally draw conclusions.
As the reporting of ORF Salzburg shows, the German Olympic Sports Association (DOSB) has already dealt intensively on the topic. A reform process that has been running for over two years aims to adopt a new sports funding law and found an independent top sports agency. The focus is on Germany's return to the top of the world with ambitious goals such as a place in the top 5 at the Summer Olympics and the Top 3 at Winter Games and World Games. But the way there seems to be bumpy.
The origins of the reform
The discussion about the performance of top German sport was fueled by the events in Paris. Germany won 12 gold, 13 silver and 8 bronze medals, which doesn't sound bad overall, but is considered insufficient compared to previous games. “There is a need for action,” says Thomas Weikert, President of the DOSB. In the last ten years, expenditure on promoting elite sports has increased, but success has not increased accordingly. One medal cost the federal government in Paris 3.7 million euros in grants, underscoring the inefficiency and problems in the system.
The Association of Athletes Germany has also made a clear position. Managing Director Johannes Herber calls for a powerful support system that offers athletes a minimum level of social and material protection. Many athletes were dissatisfied, among other things, canoe Olympic champion Max Rendschmidt and Tom Liebscher-Lucz criticized the lack of support for politics during a visit to Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Prospects for the future
In August 2023, the second draft of the Sports Promotion Act was published, on which the associations were able to submit statements. Although the revised draft addressed some criticisms, it fell short of expectations. The DOSB has therefore submitted 15 suggestions for improvement to the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI). In the hope that the law will be passed quickly, the DOSB hopes to create clear framework conditions for athletes and associations during this legislative period.
The new this independent agency, which is set to take over numerous central tasks, is also intended to ensure efficient care for athletes in addition to bureaucracy. However, it remains to be seen to what extent the agency can actually work independently without political influences on its company effective.
“We are standing up for Fernando Alonso and are confident that the reforms will finally bring the desired results,” says Weikert full of optimism. Time will tell whether these measures can actually bring German sport back to the top.
You can find more information on developments in German competitive sports ORF Salzburg, dem DOSB and daily news.