Mr. Müller, the German Boxing Association has recently had to listen to some criticism from the association "Athleten Deutschland" and one or two long-time active players. There was talk of an authoritarian, undemocratic treatment of athletes, latent misogyny and the like. Is the DBV a club of old, white men who don't listen to their activists?
No, that definitely does not correspond to our actual actions.
We deliberately have two athlete spokespersons, one male and one female, who are fully integrated in all relevant bodies.
They have an important say in all important decisions about nominations and planning for the squad, and have done so for many years.
So there is a very lively, democratic and equal process going on.
Nevertheless, a different picture initially prevailed in public. Why were the accusations picked up and disseminated so quickly and apparently without closer examination in the media?
It just fitted too well into the cliché that associations are fundamentally to blame for everything.
The real connections were only later questioned, and from then on public opinion also turned.
We wouldn't be in office long ago if such allegations were even remotely true.
In fact, in the new elections six months ago, the incumbent president was confirmed with 98 percent of the votes and all vice presidents with 100 percent of the votes.
That would never happen if there was so much discord.
Did the association react a little late to counter the allegations? Is there an image or communication problem in the DBV?
The association protected its athletes for now, as it always does.
They are allowed to go overboard with their statements without us ripping their heads off right away.
We also set a reasonable course when dealing with a disappointed athlete who was no longer considered for the P squad (perspective squad, ed.).
Unfortunately, the other side didn't care about that at all.
We have to acknowledge that, but that's the end of it.
What has the association done in recent years to modernize itself from the inside out? Can you give examples?
In principle, this can already be seen on our newly designed website.
The contact point for sexualized violence is listed there, as recommended by Athletes Germany for all associations.
To this end, we have appointed Annemarie Stark as a new officer for the topic and introduced a complete early warning culture in all state associations.
This puts us one step ahead of the DOSB (German Olympic Sports Confederation) model.
We are just as consistent in the area of trainers.
If they do not sign a corresponding commitment, they cannot take part in our championships and courses.
Where can women get involved in the DBV, how is their participation encouraged?
Unfortunately, we are still looking for women who want to work on our committees or become trainers.
In this sense, we also address many former athletes in order to give them more responsibility.
We rely on role models like Annemarie Stark, who became one of our first full-time trainers in Lübeck and is very committed.
Hopefully your example will show other women what is possible with us.
The restructuring of a traditional men's association has already been very successful in promoting the female squad.
As of today, all weight classes for women are promoted just as highly as for men.