Competition or contest - Reform of the Federal Youth Games to be reversed
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're telling our children that performance has nothing to do with life," Schwarz told the "Bild" newspaper before a planned meeting of the Sports Commission of the Culture Ministers Conference (KMK) with representatives of the German Olympic Sports Federation (DOSB) in Frankfurt.
According to the news agency dpa, this is a regular meeting that takes place once a year. They will discuss strengthening the competition component, it was reported. However, no decisions will be made.
Competition instead of competition - what does that mean?
Since this school year, the annual competitions in athletics for all elementary 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 elementary school students are now evaluated differently and less rigidly. With this innovation, 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, while a competition is not. That 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 within their year group. Schools can also offer other sports tasks at the competition besides classical disciplines like the 50-meter sprint or long jump - for example, hurdle sprint, shot put, or discus throw.
"Fairness, respect, team spirit and social competence"
Moreover, the performances of students will no longer be recorded centimeter by centimeter with a measuring tape or stopwatch, as the ministry spokesperson explained. Instead, there will be specific zones, in which certain points are awarded - for example, in long jump or shot put. 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 competence."
The traditional issuance of honor, winner, and participant certificates continues, however, according to a fixed key. The best 20 percent - separated by year group and gender - receive the honor certificate, the middle 50 percent a winner certificate, and the lower 30 percent a participant certificate.
CDU Minister Schwarz and GEW have different opinions
CDU Minister Schwarz finds: "If everything becomes arbitrary, there's no motivation left to improve. That would be worrying for our society. We 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 rewarded. If this principle loses validity, in the end, everyone loses out."
The German Trade Union Education and Science (GEW) called the reform, which was introduced, a good approach - with room for improvement. "We could have taken a bigger step, for example, by putting more emphasis on the team," said GEW board member Anja Bensinger-Stolze. "Offering certain sports or helping each other out in certain things." Moreover, every participant 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 of the association from the previous summer, in which it was stated among other things: "Competition in contrast to competition is not to be understood as a purely playful offer. Competition is rather to be understood as a sporting offer tailored to the development of children."
- Armin Schwarz, the Culture Minister of Hesse (CDU), plans to convene a meeting with the Sports Commission of the Culture Ministers Conference (KMK) and the German Olympic Sports Federation (DOSB) in Frankfurt, aiming to reinstate the focus on performance in the Federal Youth Games.
- The controversial decision to downplay the competition aspect of the Federal Youth Games, implemented last year, has prompted Schwarz to advocate for a reversal.
- Scheduled to take place annually, this meeting is a regular occasion for discussing strategies to enhance the competitive component, as reported by news agency dpa.
- Wiesbaden, being the capital city of Hesse, is likely to be a significant location for the talks, given Schwarz's position in the regional administration.
- The Federal Youth Games, an event organized by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), has seen a shift in its approach since the commencement of this school year.
- Elementary school children from the first to the fourth grade are now participating in annual athletic competitions without the traditional competition structure, which was limited to the first two classes earlier.
- The new format, aimed at making the games more child-friendly, has resulted in a diminished emphasis on performance in the Federal Youth Games.
- The Hesse Ministry of Culture, led by Armin Schwarz, has expressed concerns about this shift, fearing a lack of motivation for children to improve and excel in competitive sports.
- Christian Lindner, the Federal Finance Minister (FDP), echoed Schwarz's sentiments, expressing the view that top performers should be rewarded, lest the entire society suffers.
- The German Trade Union Education and Science (GEW) supported the notion behind the reform but suggested increasing the emphasis on teamwork and ensuring every participant receives recognition, despite differing levels of performance.
