Hesse's Minister of Culture - Minister: Reverse the reform of the Federal Youth Games
One year after the controversial reform of the Federal Youth Games, Hessian Culture Minister Armin Schwarz (CDU) wants to reverse the decision and put more emphasis on performance. "The wheel must be turned back really quickly. It's going in the completely wrong direction when we tell our children that performance has nothing to do with life," Schwarz told the "Bild" newspaper before a planned meeting of the Sport Commission of the Culture Ministers Conference (KMK) with representatives of the German Olympic Sports Federation (DOSB) on Thursday in Frankfurt.
According to the news agency dpa, this is a regular meeting that takes place once a year. They will discuss strengthening the competitive component again, it was reported. However, no decisions were made.
Competition instead of competition - what does that mean?
Since this school year, the annual competitions in athletics for all primary school children up to the fourth grade have only been organized as competitions and no longer as competitions. Until now, this was only the case in the first two classes. The performance character of the Federal Youth Games is thus pushed into the background, and the performances of primary school children are now evaluated differently and less rigidly. With this change, the games were intended to become more child-friendly, as the Committee for the Federal Youth Games and the Sports Commission of the Culture Ministers Conference (KMK) had already decided in 2021.
But what is the difference between a competition and a competition? According to a spokesperson for the Federal Family Ministry, a competition is regulated by clear rules, whereas a competition is not. This means: Those who belong to the best no longer - as was previously the case in Germany - orient themselves according to a fixed point table, but according to the performances of the children in a school year group. Schools can also offer other sports tasks at the competition besides classical disciplines such as the 50-meter sprint or long jump, for example, hurdle sprint, shot put, or javelin throw.
"Fairness, respect, team spirit and social skills"
Moreover, the performances of the students will no longer be recorded centimeter by centimeter with a measuring tape or a stopwatch, as the ministry spokesperson explained. Instead, there will be specific zones, in which certain points are given, for example, in long jump or javelin throw. It is particularly important at the annual games that one moves, has fun, and gives one's best, it says on the website of the Federal Youth Games. "Above all, it's also about fairness, respect, team spirit, and social skills."
The traditional issuance of Honor-, Winner- and Participant certificates continues, however, according to a fixed key. The best 20% - separated by year group and gender - receive the Honor certificate, the middle 50% a Winner certificate, and the lower 30% a Participant certificate.
CDU Minister Schwarz and GEW have different opinions
CDU Minister Schwarz finds: "If everything becomes arbitrary, there is no longer any incentive to improve. That would be worrying for our society. We therefore need to promote the fun of competitive sports much more, instead of holding it back." Similarly, Bundesfinanzminister Christian Lindner (FDP) expressed himself on the X platform on Thursday: "If top performance is achieved, it should be honored. If this principle loses validity, in the end, everyone loses out."
The German Trade Union Education and Science (GEW) called the reform before its implementation a good approach - with room for improvement. "We could have taken a bigger step, for example, by putting more emphasis on the team and helping each other out in certain things," said GEW board member Anja Bensinger-Stolze. "Everyone who participates should be rewarded in some way, without comparing participants with different certificates." It is important to inspire children to move together and have fun with sports.
The DOSB, according to a spokesperson, continues to support the 2023 reform. The spokesperson referred to a statement from the association from the previous summer, which among other things stated: "Competition in contrast to competition is not about a purely playful offer. Competition is rather to be understood as a sports offer tailored to the development of children."
Website Bundesjugendspiele
- Armin Schwarz, the Hessian Culture Minister, expressed his desire to reverse the decision made a year ago about the Federal Youth Games, emphasising performance over relaxation.
- In a meeting with the DOSB representatives in Frankfurt, Schwarz and the Culture Ministers Conference will discuss strengthening the competitive component of the games.
- According to the dpa news agency, this annual meeting aims to restore the performance focus, which has been pushed back this school year for primary school children up to the fourth grade.
- The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) supports the 2023 reform that emphasizes the importance of a sports offer tailored to children's development over 'competition versus competition'.
- German Trade Union Education and Science (GEW) acknowledges the reform's potential but suggests placing more emphasis on teamwork and equal recognition for all participants.
- Christian Lindner, the Bundesfinanzminister, agrees with Schwarz, stating that top performance should be honored, and emphasizing that everyone loses if this principle loses validity.
- Since the reform, primary school children's performances are no longer strictly judged using measuring tapes or stopwatches, instead, they are given points within specific zones.
- The traditional issuance of Honor-, Winner-, and Participant certificates remains the same, with the best 20% receiving Honor certificates, the middle 50% Winner certificates, and the lower 30% Participant certificates.
