The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) has called for a paradigm shift in the federal government.

"Successful competitive sport must not be the sole goal of federal politics and sports funding," says a key issues paper entitled "Sport moves Germany", which the umbrella organization published on Tuesday: "Mass sport must also get the attention and resources that it deserves due to its outstanding social importance.” So far, the federal states have been responsible for this.

Michael Reinsch

Correspondent for sports in Berlin.

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The DOSB presents its 19-page claims as a contribution to the sports development plan that the SPD, Greens and FDP promised in their coalition agreement.

According to the paper, the government is showing its intention to recognize the importance of sport and exercise for society as a whole and to assume political responsibility for sport in its entirety.

The Federal Ministry of the Interior, which has been responsible for top-class sport, did not want to confirm this.

When asked, his press office oracled that by the end of the legislative period, i.e. in autumn 2025, real added value should be created at the grassroots level.

In April, behind the closed doors of the Sports Committee of the German Bundestag, the Vice President of the DOSB, Kerstin Holze, said what her association expects from politicians: a State Secretariat for Sport in the Chancellery analogous to that for culture, a central contact person for mass sport, a department for promoting physical activity in the Federal Ministry of Health, a Federal Government Commissioner for Sport Development.

The DOSB now repeats that it is important to understand sport as a cross-sectional task and to at least coordinate dealing with it in the interior, building, family and health ministries.

The DOSB repeated the demand that Chancellor Olaf Scholz should invite to a movement summit.

Sport faces social challenges such as pandemics, war and flight, climate and demographic change.

It promotes democracy building and social cohesion.

Above all, it contributes to health promotion.

The special status of sport must be expressed in nationwide sports policy, the DOSB demands and formulates a further demand as a question: "What a strong sign it would be if sport and exercise as well as competitive sport were included in the Basic Law by the federal government ?” Before the implementation of such big plans, the “restart” of club sport should come, for which the budget committee has provided 25 million euros and blocked it until a concept is presented.