The German Athletics Association (DLV) rejects the criticism that it did not cooperate with the organizers of the European Championships.

He confirms that he made an offer to take over the organization of the European Athletics Championships and criticizes that the association - unlike the 2009 World Championships and the 2018 European Championships in Berlin - was not involved in the organization;

this was an unusual and suboptimal solution.

In an interview with the "Süddeutsche Zeitung", Marion Schöne, Managing Director of Olympiapark München GmbH, criticized various of the nine German associations involved.

Michael Reinsch

Correspondent for sports in Berlin.

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The athletics association offered its services for a low double-digit million amount.

Schöne called this unacceptable;

the services had been acquired elsewhere at lower prices.

DLV President Jürgen Kessing called the allegations "completely out of thin air".

The costs of 35 million euros for the European Athletics Championships 2018 include the services of the association's staff and external service providers;

such a procedure is normal.

Incidentally, the DLV delivered what was absolutely needed in Munich.

The birth defect of the event is that it is organized past the nine national associations.

Kessing described Schöne's behavior as a "bad night step".

The association supported the petition to adjust the marathon start times solely for the benefit of all runners and did not, as Schöne complained, create "mood against the Olympic Park".

From then on, the association only communicated its irritation internally, for example about ticket prices that were too high and the lack of invitations to deserving athletes.

Schöne complained that she had provided the European Athletics Association (EA) with 2,000 tickets a day, which had supplied the DLV.

"A senior EA official pulled me aside and said, 'Mrs. Schöne, the most important thing about an event like this is that you have top catering, top hotel accommodation and top shuttle service'" , she says.

After Eugene's World Cup debacle, she offered Kessing and CEO Idriss Gonschinska "to consider what can be done.

Nothing came, no ideas, no constructive suggestions.”

Athletics, in particular, benefited from being in the heart of the event in the Olympic Stadium.

"To describe it as a disadvantage was simply arrogant and cheeky," said Schöne.

She has experienced “management with a patriarchal structure” in many of the associations.

This should have “actually had to survive long ago”.