The countdown to the decision is running – and the dream of triumph in the national club competition “Stars des Sports” 2020 lives on for TSV Lonnerstadt 1948: The multi-discipline club, which was awarded the “Big Sports Star” in silver in November at the state level, competes for the Free State of Bavaria in the federal final and hopes for the “Big Star of Sports” in gold.
The decision will be made on January 18, 2021 at DZ Bank in Berlin. Immediately next to the Brandenburg Gate, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will announce the winner together with the President of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), Alfons Hörmann, and the President of the Federal Association of German Volksbanks and Raiffeisenbanks (BVR), Marija Kolak. A total of 17 clubs are hoping for the “Oscar of popular sport” and a winner’s check for 10,000 euros.
TSV Lonnerstadt is one of the finalists because it has launched an alternative sports program for its members with its “#Summerchallenge @ TSV Lonnerstadt” initiative. “The idea came to us during the lockdown in spring, when we were concerned with the question: How can we encourage people to do sports?” Says sports director Frank Iftner about the motives of those responsible.
Points and kilometers collected
And this is how it worked: From May to August, all club members were called upon to collect kilometers – and thus points – by jogging, walking, swimming or cycling. “For 50 points there is a free drink at a home game of our first football team and one euro per liter goes to the Lonnerstadt kindergarten”, explains Elena Haberkamm, head of popular sports at TSV. “More than 20,000 kilometers covered resulted in 276 liters of free drinks in the summer – we rounded up the donation total for the kindergarten to 300 euros.” In addition, the participant with the most points received a special award: one year membership free of charge.
The TSV’s application went through the VR-Bank Erlangen-Höchstadt-Herzogenaurach. “The idea of the Summer Challenge is simply great. In a very challenging year of sport, the club, the athletes and, last but not least, the kindergarten, of course, all benefited from the campaign,” says CEO Johannes Hofmann. “With this project, TSV Lonnerstadt has rightly won the ‘Big Star of Sports’ in silver at the state level and we keep our fingers crossed that it might even be enough for gold.”
A top-class jury of experts will decide whether the club will actually receive the “Big Star of Sports” in gold from Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on January 18th. The three best-placed clubs among the 17 finalists will be awarded.
Action has been running since 2004
With additional cash prizes at regional and state level, the winners of the “Stars of Sports” have already received several million euros in recognition and to expand their social commitment. Since 2004, the DOSB, together with the Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken, has honored extraordinary activities or offers from sports clubs and their special commitment and awards the “Stars of Sport” in this context. Projects in areas such as education and qualification, voluntary work, health and prevention, equality, integration and inclusion or climate, nature or environmental protection are awarded annually. red
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