Federal Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere unequivocally called for unity, but the controversial reform of competitive sport continues to bubble over in the German Olympic Sports Federation (DOSB). One year after its adoption, the mammoth project has come to a standstill – and sport is raising the alarm with a view to Olympia 2020.
“The delays and ambiguities in the implementation of the reform lead to considerable uncertainty among athletes, coaches and federations and thus massively endanger the preparations for the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020,”according to a statement by the top sports federations, which they presented on the fringes of the 14th World Championships in Tokyo. General Assembly of the DOSB in Koblenz.
“We are at a point where the possibilities of sport end. Without the financial means it cannot go on”, DOSB President Alfons Hörmann emphasized in his speech:”We can only hope that the political question marks in Berlin will be resolved”.
The ongoing formation of a new government in the German capital is also one of the reasons why the project for top-class sports reform is stagnating. In addition, the last discussions were dominated by atmospheric disturbances between politics and sport. Especially the financing and the question of reducing the number of Olympic bases had caused controversy.
This is one of the reasons why de Maiziere, who is currently only responsible for sport in a managerial capacity, called for unity in his speech:”Such major reforms can only succeed together,” said the CDU politician:”Don’t talk about each other, but with one another – this is a condition for success.
De Maiziere once again committed himself to supporting more money for top-class sport. If he were given the opportunity to work on a new budget, de Maiziere would “in the first few days after forming a government, suggest a top-level meeting with DOSB and professional associations” at which “a new team spirit” would be created. Without new budget negotiations of a new government, however, there would be no new money, de Maiziere stressed and warned:”More money does not replace the need for reform.
The Minister called on sport to cooperate constructively in the implementation of reform, saying,”Such major reforms are not accompanied by popcorn, party hats and confetti,”and he criticized in clear terms the culture of discussion in parts of top-class sport. On the other hand, it is always easier to be behind the curtain than for something:”The sum of counter-arguments does not result in a solution, teamwork or team spirit”.
De Maiziere emphasized that he would like to accompany the reform process as Minister of the Interior, which is “no secret”. According to de Maiziere, however, one should “never make such developments dependent on individual persons”. The reform is “structurally designed”.
The opinion of the top sports associations showed just how much dissatisfaction there was with the implementation. The delay was “not attributable to the central associations”. The union of the Olympic and non-Olympic federations demanded in its “nine-point programme”, among other things for the athletes “clarity with regard to their financial security, the structure of the base and professional support”. The “unsustainable employment situation” of numerous trainers must be eliminated. In addition,”the resources necessary for the implementation of the reform should be made available to the associations”.
According to the paper, public funding for top-class sport by the federal and state governments would have to be “raised significantly” from 2018 onwards, and I can only hope that these points will be taken very seriously,”said Siegfried Kaidel, President of the German Rowing Federation (DRV) and spokesman for the top associations. Ultimately, the 462 delegates unanimously agreed to the demands.