Germany's sports reforms

It appears we could be on the cusp of a revolution of Germany's approach to Olympic sport.

Among the suggested changes: Sports associations will no longer be flooded with funds, and the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) will see its influence become limited.

"My goal is that Germany will return to the center stage as a sporting nation" Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière said, adding that reforms are important not only to ensure progress, "but also to prevent us from going backwards."

Germany’s Interior Ministry previously offered renewed talks between the DOSB and the country’s top sporting organizations.

With a view to the future

A new grants program will be in place to increase efficiency. The most significant change from the existing system is that an athlete’s prospect of future success - rather than just their previous track record - would form the basis on which sports associations will be funded. A newly introduced model called "PotAS" (Potential Analysis System) will divide the chances an athlete has for future success into three different groups.

The model will help the different bodies (the DOSB, the Grants Committee among others) determine a suitable level of funding awarded to each institution. 

"In the past we were heavily concentrated on certain associations," said DOSB President Alfons Hörmans. "In the future, we will try to shed some light on the places where the best opportunities exist."

Unclear costs

While the reforms are only due to come in from 2019, the PotAS commission is set to start employing within the next few months. The necessary funding for the start of its operations would mean the increase of the DOSB’s 2017 budget (162.5 million euros).

"It would cost more money," confirms Sigfried Kaidel, President of Germany’s rowing association (DRV) and spokesperson for the various umbrella organizations. Dagmar Freitag, Chairman of the Bundestag's Sports Committee, voiced her surprise that sports associations were informed about a possible additional state-based funding, but not the Sports Committee. "This approach was met with little understanding," she told DW.

Another significant change will be the restrructuring of Germany’s squad structures. The previous divisions of A, B, C and D-DC squads will be trandformed, with the creation of Olympic, prospective Olympic and junior squads. In addition, the number of Olympic facilities will be reduced. There will only be between 165 and 170 training camps funded by the government, rather than the existing 204.

The number of Olympic training centers will also be reduced from 19 to 13. The exact centers that will be shut down are yet to be revealed, and their identity is likely to cause uproar among some sports associations. 

The list of reforms is set to be voted on in the DOSB General Assembly as early as December.