The selection committee commissioned by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) has agreed on three candidates to succeed DOSB President Alfons Hörmann.

That emerges from a letter from this Monday to the member associations of the DOSB, which the FAZ has received.

Anno Hecker

Responsible editor for sports.

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Michael Reinsch

Correspondent for sports in Berlin.

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“The search committee for the search for the new president of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) has held an intensive exchange with a wide range of candidates over the past few weeks. From this group, the commission proposes three personalities who have a clear idea of ​​the challenges of this office and are certainly in a good position to meet this demanding task, "the letter says:" It is Prof. Claudia Bokel, President of the German Fencing Association, Mr. Stephan Mayer, Member of the Bundestag - Parliamentary State Secretary for the Interior, for Building and Home, and Mr. Thomas Weikert, President of the International Table Tennis Association. "

The committee headed by former Federal President Christian Wulff did not consider four applicants, one, the sports manager and initiator of the Rhine Ruhr City Olympic campaign, Michael Mronz, had withdrawn before the vote.

Presidency initially for one year

The three selected will have the opportunity to answer questions from the DOSB member associations on Sunday in Düsseldorf, and thus to present their program in the event of an election. Three weeks later, the delegates of the DOSB are to decide at the general assembly of the umbrella association who will initially take over the presidency for one year. The procedure had become necessary because, after the publication of an anonymous letter, Hörmann announced his withdrawal one year before the end of his term of office, among other things with complaints about his management style and following a recommendation by the ethics committee of the DOSB. There will be elections again in December 2022.

The almost 60-year-old lawyer and attorney Thomas Weikert has the best chance of assuming the office of DOSB President. Even before the selection committee was selected, the former president of the German Table Tennis Association received the approval of 14 associations for support in the event of his candidacy. Among other things, Weikert made a name for himself with his arguments for an anti-doping law that came into force at the end of 2015. Weikert has the capacity to work at the DOSB because after seven years at the head of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) he did not want to run again.

It is astonishing that he now has a rival in Claudia Bokel (48 years old).

The German Fencing Federation (DFB) has also signed the letter of support for Weikert.

The former, internationally successful epee fencer has headed the DFB since 2015. Since the Olympic Games in London in 2012, she has been chairwoman of the athletes' commission of the International Olympic Committee.

The 47-year-old CSU politician Mayer has been directly elected to the Bundestag for the third time in the Altötting constituency.

He has announced several times that, as an opposition politician, he would like to chair the sports committee.

If elected, he is expected to suspend his mandate.

His candidacy is a surprise;

just a few weeks ago he denied an interest in the presidency of the DOSB.