Meeting on possible reform of the Federal Youth Games

Competition or contest - Meeting on possible reform of the Federal Youth Games

In the debate about the reform of the Federal Youth Games, Hessian Culture Minister Armin Schwarz (CDU) called for refocusing on the performance aspect. "The wheel must be turned back very quickly. It's going in the completely wrong direction if we're telling our children that performance has nothing to do with life," Schwarz told the "Bild" newspaper before a meeting of the Culture Ministry Conference (KMK) Sport Commission with representatives of the German Olympic Sports Federation (DOSB), which took place on Thursday in Frankfurt.

According to dpa, it was a regular meeting that takes place once a year. They discussed strengthening the competition component, as it had been announced beforehand. No decisions were made, but the topic was discussed.

Since this school year, the annual games in the athletics discipline for all primary school children up to the fourth grade have only been organized as a competition and no longer as a competition. Until now, this was only the case in the first two classes. The performance character of the Federal Youth Games is thus being pushed into the background. "If everything is arbitrary, there's no motivation left to improve. That would be worrying for our society," Schwarz explained. "We therefore need to promote the fun of athletic competition much more, instead of holding it back."

The DOSB, according to a spokesperson, continues to support the reform. They referred to a statement from the association from the previous summer, in which it was stated, among other things, "Competition in contrast to competition does not mean that it is a purely playful offer. The competition is rather to be understood as a sports offer tailored to the development of children."

1. Armin Schwarz, the Hessian Culture Minister from the CDU, expressed his concerns about the direction of the Federal Youth Games reform during a meeting in Frankfurt.
2. The Federal Youth Games, which are organized annually, have seen a shift in focus away from competition for primary school children up to the fourth grade.
3. Schwarz argued that this shift towards a less performance-oriented approach could be detrimental to society, as it may diminish children's motivation to improve.
4. The meeting in Frankfurt brought together representatives from the German Olympic Sports Federation (DOSB) and the Culture Ministry Conference (KMK) Sport Commission to discuss strengthening the competition component of the games.
5. The DOSB continues to support the reform, interpreting competition as a sports offer tailored to the development of children, rather than a purely playful activity.
6. The topic of refocusing on the performance aspect was a main point of discussion during the regular annual meeting attended by representatives from various schools and educational institutions.
7. Schwarz's call for promoting the fun of athletic competition remains a contentious issue, with implications for the future of sports education in Hesse and beyond.

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