The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) is calling for more political influence in order to achieve improvements in areas such as youth development, schools and sports facilities. Chairman Torsten Burmester sees sport as the largest citizens’ movement in Germany and is calling for a stronger voice in politics.
Sport as a citizens’ movement
Torsten Burmesterthe chairman of the DOSB, told RTL/ntv that he wanted more political influence for sport. “Sport is the largest citizens’ movement in Germany, we have 27 million members,” emphasized Burmester. He sees strengthening sport as not only a sports policy task, but also a socio-political one.
Demand for improvements
For Burmester, it is urgent to make improvements in areas such as youth development, schools and sports facilities: “There is a lot to be done. There is still a lot of need, and in this respect we need a strong voice in politics for sport.”
Praise for athletes and optimism for second half of the Games
Aside from the political demands, the CEO praised the excellent atmosphere and the athletes’ performances. “The atmosphere here is outstanding. The city is characterized by a colorful hustle and bustle of over 200 nations,” enthused Burmester. When asked about the success of the French athletes, he explained: “The French have worked hard and are benefiting from the tailwind of the Olympic Games in their society and in sport.”
Looking ahead to the second half of the games, Burmester expressed confidence: “We were already doing very well at halftime… The second half is usually the better half for us. So I still have a lot of confidence that we will win many more medals and successes.”
