Tenth place in the medal table at the Olympic Games, eleventh place at the Paralympics – the discussion about German sports funding has started. The German Sports Aid Foundation is moving forward with a new concept. (picture alliance / CHROMORANGE / Michael Bihlmayer)
From 2025, the German Sports Aid Foundation will be providing more money for young talent. The foundation says it wants to provide the greatest talents in German sport with “needs-based support earlier and at any point in their careers.”
“I think we’ve lost some ground in recent years,” says former top swimmer Franziska van Almsick, who sits on the Sporthilfe board of directors. “In figures: We’ve supported around 500 athletes in the junior sector in recent years and now want to support up to 2,000. I’m really happy about that because I think it’s a huge incentive for young athletes to emulate their great role models.”
Top athletes have to make sacrifices – for the young talent
Talented athletes who take part in international competitions can now receive up to 100 euros in basic support per month. In return, top athletes will receive less in the future. Athletes with sports support positions, i.e. those who are employed by the police, the armed forces or customs, in particular will have to make cuts. Instead of 400 euros, they will only receive 250 euros in basic support per month.
This also applies to Niko Kappel, who is on the German army’s payroll. But the para shot putter is happy to make his contribution. “Most people my age have benefited from a small amount of financial support for young talent in the past, but that hasn’t been the case for some time. That’s why it’s a matter close to my heart.”
Sports soldier Laura Nolte, multiple world and European champion in bobsleighing, sees it the same way: “Especially with young athletes, you don’t have a lot of presentation space, you’re not on TV. That means you hardly have any sponsors. And every cent is worth a lot and it’s right that Sporthilfe is stepping in there.”
Sports scientist: More money for young athletes does not mean more medals in the long term
But what effect does that have? Does more money for young athletes mean more medals in the long term? It’s not that simple, says sports scientist Arne Güllich from the TU Kaiserslautern. He has been researching talent promotion in Germany for a long time. On the one hand: “The athletes are happy about the money they get. Perhaps it really is a concrete help in actually being able to continue their sport a little longer.”
But from a scientific point of view, success in youth has no demonstrable effect on later success in elite sport: “Internationally successful juniors and internationally successful elite athletes are not the same athletes. Rather, they are two populations that are 80 to 90 percent disparate. Most successful young people do not become successful adults, and many successful adults were not successful young people – or at least not that successful. On the other hand, if you force the acceleration of early youth success, this comes at the expense of long-term success in elite sport.”
Individual support – depending on the sport
The increased financial support for young athletes from Sporthilfe could therefore have no effect on the medal tally, especially not at the next Olympic Games in 2028 in Los Angeles. But Sporthilfe board member Karin Orgeldinger wants to achieve exactly that: “Of course, we look at the overall results at the Olympic Games and think that we can prove that we made a decisive contribution to them.”
The new Sporthilfe funding concept also includes more individuality. Bobsleighing is now supported differently than swimming, for example because of different material costs. This was also a request from the Athletes Germany association, says fencer and athlete spokesperson Léa Krüger: “This individuality, which is now being addressed in more detail here, is actually the biggest benefit we have from the concept.”
More individuality also means beyond money: help with mental training and psychological support when it is needed.
Support even after the sports career
In addition, Sporthilfe now wants to continue to support athletes after the end of their careers for up to five years, instead of just three years as before, with up to 500 euros per month and study scholarships. No one should be left behind – and in the best case scenario, they should remain in German sport. Sports scientist Arne Güllich puts it this way:
“The vast majority of successful top athletes have no problems transitioning from their sporting career to their post-sporting career, and most of them have no professional difficulties either. Those who have professional difficulties are those for whom their elite sporting career has come at the expense of their education. Nevertheless, for these cases, they will be happy about this support and it can also be effective.”
Whether the effectiveness of the new funding will also be measurable in medals is still questionable from today’s perspective.
