Top German athletes still have to show a lot of patience in the debate about the Sports Promotion Act. After the 50th Conference of Sports Ministers in Munich, Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) expressed the hope that the new law would be passed in this legislative period even after the traffic light coalition ended. Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU), however, pointed out that there was still a need for clarification.
“We are not yet satisfied with the current status of this law,” said Herrmann. The current draft is an improvement over last year’s, “but we’re not there yet.” Among other things, Herrmann has doubts as to whether bureaucracy will be eliminated and whether the planned sports agency will actually work independently: “The Federal Ministry of the Interior still decides and controls.”
The federal cabinet had passed the draft for the first sports funding law on Wednesday before the traffic light broke. However, this still has to be passed by the Bundestag.
Sports associations, politicians and athlete representatives have been debating a suitable sports funding law for a long time. This is intended to clearly stipulate the promotion of top-class sport independent of the respective federal government. The law is intended to provide greater planning security, reduce bureaucracy and ultimately improve the performance of athletes. The core of the Sports Funding Act is the establishment of an independent sports agency to distribute the millions in funding.
“There is no dispute about the principle of this sports funding law and the sports agency, but there are only nuances in the orientation,” said Faeser. “We are expressly prepared to make changes to this end.” The passage of the law is also essential in order to be “well prepared” for the Olympic Games in Germany.
In the summer, the federal government officially cleared the way for a German bid for the 2040 Olympic Games. “We want to tackle this with full force,” said Herrmann. “It won’t be easy internationally, but we don’t have to be afraid of our own people.” Like in Paris this year, they should be modern and ecologically sustainable games. Bavaria would also like to host the Olympics.
