Sporthilfe sees great opportunities for sports, economy, and society in the german Olympic bid

Frankfurt/Main – The Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the german sports foundation Sporthilfe , Christian Seifert, sees the Olympic bid as a great opportunity and calls on sports and business to join forces. “Hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Germany presents a great opportunity for our country to show how powerful our nation can be and the great potential of german companies. At the same time, this will strengthen social cohesion. With the cabinet decision of July 24, the federal government supports this bid, which is a strong message in these financially challenging times. This is a clear sign of the importance of sports in Germany and will motivate not only millions of active athletes but certainly also the German economy,” said Christian Seifert. 

Germany’s Olympic bid is to be made under the premises of sustainability, participation, and sports development. “To make the bid successful, organized sports must now pool all its resources and work together towards the goal of a successful bid. The Sporthilfe will, of course, support the DOSB in this task,” says Christian Seifert. 

The Supervisory Board of the Sporthilfe unanimously supported a German Olympic bid at its 58th meeting on July 4. The 14-member committee includes the CEOs of Mercedes-Benz, Ola Källenius, Christian Sewing of Deutsche Bank, Petra Justenhoven of PwC Germany, Andreas Pohl of Deutsche Vermögensberatung, and the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Bayer AG, Prof. Dr. Norbert Winkeljohann. Deutsche Telekom and Deutsche Post DHL are represented by two top executives, Thorsten Langheim and Tim Scharwath. In addition, the Supervisory Board includes Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, DOSB-President Thomas Weikert, Tobias Preuß as a member of the DOSB Athletes’ Commission, TV-presenter Johannes B. Kerner, and the last German NOC-President Klaus Steinbach. Former swimming world champion Steinbach won the silver medal with the 4x200-meter freestyle relay at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. 

Swimming icon Franziska van Almsick, Deputy Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of Sports Aid alongside Deutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing, had strongly advocated for a german Olympic bid at the 55th meeting of the Sports Committee in the german parliament at the end of June: “Sports have the power to change Germany. The unifying element of sports is more relevant and important than ever. The collective enthusiasm of the 2024 European Soccer Championship has impressively shown the impact, relevance, and role model function of athletes,” said van Almsick, who made her Olympic debut in Barcelona in 1992 at the age of just 14, followed by three more Olympic participations. She won a total of four silver and six bronze medals. “Germany has performed grandly as a host, and international fans felt comfortable and welcome with us. How much more potential is there in a German Olympic bid!? It can be the impetus for a new Germany that focuses on social cohesion, willingness to perform, and togetherness.” 

Thomas Berlemann, CEO of the Sporthilfe, says: “The Sporthilfe was founded on the occasion of the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich and has been committed to promoting the best german junior and top athletes since 1967. The positive signal from the federal government for an Olympic bid is also a clear sign of appreciation for the athletes and their achievements, as well as their dedication, diligence, and commitment. Moreover, a bid will once again bring the values of the Sporthilfe ,Performance. Fair play. Togethernes.’ into our ociety.” 

The importance of top-level sports and the role model function of athletes for the population is also confirmed by figures from a recent representative population survey: Around three-quarters (72%) of people in Germany consider sporting successes at World and European Championships as well as Olympic and Paralympic Games important for Germany’s reputation in the world. Overall, a large majority (76%) of the population considers it important that Germany performs well at major sporting events and is happy when German athletes win many medals at international major events (73%). Additionally, 59% of people in Germany rate the positive impact of top-level sports as high to very high. Nearly two-thirds see Germany’s top athletes as role models in terms of willingness to perform. The survey was conducted in May 2024 by the sports marketing and research consultancy ONE8Y on behalf of Sporthilfe. 

Contact: 
Stiftung Deutsche Sporthilfe 
Yannick Wenig 
Otto Fleck-Schneise 8 
60528 Frankfurt am Main 
Phone: 0151-11313776 
Mail: yannick.wenig@sporthilfe.de