On September 21, 2024, customs sports will once again take part in Europe’s largest open-air sports festival in Vienna. Sports Day has been a permanent fixture in the customs sports calendar since 2017 and will take place this year on Vienna’s Heldenplatz. Visitors are cordially invited to visit the customs sports pagodas, where they have the opportunity to get autographs, take selfies with the athletes and have personal conversations. In addition, colleagues from the Northern Office will provide insights into the work of customs. Service dogs and a customs X-ray vehicle will also be presented on site to give visitors a comprehensive picture of the everyday working life of a customs officer.
“Participation in ‘Sports Day’ offers us a wonderful opportunity every year to recognize the impressive sporting and professional achievements of our customs athletes. By expanding our squad to include summer sports, we are further strengthening our support for the athletes and creating new opportunities for their development. I am particularly pleased to be able to present the diverse talents and skills that they put at the service of the community to a wide audience,” said Finance Minister Magnus Brunner.
Representing the Federal Minister of Finance and as the highest representatives of the customs administration, the head of the Austrian Customs Office, Mag. Heike Fetka-Blüthner, and the head of Section I, Mag. Dr. Angelika Schätz, will take part in the event.
From 10:00 a.m. there will be autograph sessions at the BMF stands throughout the day, as well as the opportunity to meet and greet members of the customs sports squad. At 10:40 a.m. the awards ceremony for the customs sportswoman and man of the year will take place on the main stage. Immediately afterwards there will be a livestream interview with the award winners in the marquee, which will provide deeper insights into their experiences and successes.
Zollsport is a professional platform for top-level sport
From September 2024, the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) will integrate four new summer sports into the customs sports squad: judo, wrestling, swimming and sport shooting. This addition to the winter sports already supported increases the number of funding places by ten to a total of 40. The new inclusion of these sports, which are closely linked to the requirements and skills of the customs service, enables young talents to combine a sporting career at the highest level with professional training and social security in the BMF. The athletes Samuel Gassner (judo) and Alexander Schmirl (sport shooting), who recently took part in the Olympic Games in Paris, are now pioneers of customs sports in summer sports. They benefit from the comprehensive funding opportunities offered by the BMF’s dual funding system.
Since its founding in 1952, the customs sports squad of the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) has developed steadily and offers young talents a professional platform to pursue top-level sport while completing vocational training in the customs administration. Originally known as the “customs guard squad”, the concept was restructured in 2008 and athletes are now accepted in cooperation with the Austrian Ski Association (ÖSV), with membership of the ÖSV being a basic requirement. The reorganization in 2008 also saw the introduction of the Parasport squad, an initiative to promote athletes with disabilities that was unique at the time, as a third division alongside the alpine and Nordic disciplines.
The entire squad currently comprises 38 active members (winter and summer sports) and two coaches, with the athletes working on individually tailored training plans in their time off from sport, which enable them to combine their sporting career with a professional career at customs. This dual system not only supports sporting development, but also secures the social and professional future of the athletes.
