The sports ministers have initiated the elite sports reform as a first step. However, the finalized detailed concept is just the beginning and implementation is still a long way off.
The sports ministers of the federal states have adopted a detailed concept for the reform of top-class sport and its promotion.
“German competitive sport is currently largely unable to fulfill its claim to be competitive among the world’s best,” said the decision at a conference in Herzogenaurach. The negative developments in international competitions continued despite “individual bright spots such as winning the Basketball World Cup”. The funding structures in elite sport are therefore “in need of fundamental change”.
Building an independent sports agency
The central element of the reform project, which was developed under the leadership of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the states and the German Olympic Sports Confederation, is the establishment and operation of an independent sports agency in which the management and promotion of top-class sport is bundled. As a further step, the agency, which should be fully operational at the end of 2025, will also take over the recognition process for the federal bases. In addition, a federal top sports funding law should ensure continuous and fixed funding.
In addition to the more efficient allocation of funding, the most important projects include the creation of excellent conditions for athletes, better pay for coaches and successful talent identification and development as well as reducing bureaucracy.
According to the resolution of the Conference of Sports Ministers, the federal government set the premise during the development of the “detailed concept” that the restructuring should not initially be associated with any further increases in funding for top-class sports. “The budget cut in sports of 27 million euros currently planned in the federal budget for 2024 would, however, have a significant impact on the realignment of top-class sports funding,” emphasized the sports ministers.
Source: Stern
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