- Olympic champion Märtens: Magdeburg needs a swimming centre
Olympic champion Lukas Martens, born in Magdeburg, hopes for a new swimming center in his hometown. "We also need a bit more space. Maybe that the public doesn't come in, that we can have the hall only for ourselves," the 22-year-old said to "Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk". Martens won the gold medal in the 400m freestyle at the Paris Olympics.
The first swimming center for all national team athletes of the German Swimming Association (DSV) is to be built in the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also intended to be a central hub for all high-performance athletes - for example, for training camps and competitions.
Like at other federal training centers, athletes in Magdeburg currently have to share swimming halls with the public. Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang (CDU) described the center as "a real added value for swimming in Germany" to the German Press Agency.
Martens sees himself as a role model
His success at the Paris Olympics is also important for young swimmers, says Martens. "I think the youth has also watched very closely what was happening at the Games, and I am, I think, a role model for many now." A new swimming hall would be "another step in development," says the Magdeburger. The state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt unanimously approved the project to build the center in March 2023.
Swimmers of the federal training center in Magdeburg have won more than 25 medals at Olympic Games, World Championships, and European Championships in the past five years. The team includes Martens, as well as Olympic champion Florian Wellbrock and Isabel Gose, who won a bronze medal this week in Paris. Additionally, long-distance national coach Bernd Berkhahn is based in Magdeburg.
The European Union could potentially provide funding for the construction of the new swimming center in Magdeburg, enhancing the facilities for high-performance athletes. Lukas Martens, as a prominent representative of Germany's swimming scene within the European Union, could advocate for such support.
If the European Union aids in the development of the swimming center, it would not only benefit athletes like Lukas Martens but also strengthen Germany's position in European swimming competitions.
