Frankfurt, May 26, 2016 – Almost a week after the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) celebrated its tenth anniversary, sports stakeholders are still thrilled remembering last Friday’s moving ceremony in Frankfurt’s Paulskirche.
For the occasion, DOSB president Alfons Hörmann welcomed Chancellor Angela Merkel, IOC President Thomas Bach, the founding president of the merged body, and major representatives from the Olympic Movement.
After chairing this year’s second EOC Executive Committee meeting and attending the unveiling of the 2017 Mediterranean Games’ Mascot with King Felipe VI of Spain in Tarragona, followed by lunch with the King and the EOC Executive Committee, EOC President Patrick Hickey left Spain to join and congratulate his German friends. Many presidents from the European NOCs also went to Germany for the event.
Hörmann said that the merger of National’s Olympic Committee (NOC) and the German Sports Federation (DSB) ten years ago had been “timely, necessary and right”, adding that, despite some critical voices and some moments of controversy, in the end the new structure has managed to secure an impressive unity for the future viability of sport.
Chancellor Merkel congratulated the DOSB and remembered the inaugural meeting on 20 May 2006 at the same cathedral: “The last ten years have been rich in sporting highlights and successes in all areas, because top-level sport and grassroots sport are two sides to the same coin.” Referring to doping she said it threatened manipulation and destroyed credibility, having no place in sport.
Back in his ” DOSB home” IOC President Thomas Bach said how pleased he was that the initial scepticism towards fusion has given way to German sports working all together today “to promote sport and its values.” He added that German sport, a unit created in diversity, can be proud, having found worldwide recognition, and also because it has inspired sports organisations in many other countries to follow its example.
Hörmann underlined DOSB’s the zero tolerance policy on anti-doping. “Give everything, take nothing” is the slogan of the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA), which can be extend to other problem areas of sport to prevent tampering of any kind.
The DOSB president pointed to the potential of sport as a means to address societal challenges, in particular integration, inclusion and health.