- The German sport at the Olympic low
Thomas Weikert raved with euphoria - but not about the German team's performance at the Olympics. "Paris kept its promise. The enthusiasm that reigned here: that was big sport," said the association president in the German House, which the German Olympic Sports Federation had rented near the Roland Garros tennis courts with eager anticipation.
Big sport - the German team didn't deliver that as often as expected in the past 16 days. While the German medal winners were celebrated almost every evening in an impressive atmosphere, the overall performance of Team Germany was rather mixed. The medal-less fencers, shooters, wrestlers, sailors, the disappointing swimming world champion Florian Wellbrock, and the historically weak cycling team became symbols of failure.
"Need for action on many levels"
With even fewer medals than three years ago in Tokyo, despite the largest team, the worst performance since reunification, and once-strong disciplines failing completely, German sport has a lot of work ahead on the long road to the Summer Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles.
Jörg Bügner, sports director of the German Athletics Association, summed up the problem succinctly: "We're writing Excel sheets, others are training - and that can't be right." The 37 medals at the corona games in Tokyo were a low point in recent decades. This time, even the minimum goal of 30 was difficult to achieve.
Overworked and underpaid coaches, sports funding under scrutiny: many things in German sport will be put to the test after Paris. "There's a need for action on many levels. We need more coaches and better pay for coaches. I've been trying to push this for many years, but it hasn't been fully successful yet," Weikert admitted on Sunday in ZDF. He also mentioned problems with sports in schools and kindergartens, and lack of money.
Criticism grows
"We started these games with a different goal in mind," said Olaf Tabor, chef de mission, regarding the number of medals. The partial goal of finishing among the top ten nations in the medal table was achieved. However, while the host France celebrated series of gold medals and even the smaller Dutch team became a real competitor, a debate has sparked in German sport about the possible consequences and, above all, the causes.
The medal hopefuls in equestrian and canoeing saved the team from even greater disaster. Moreover, the 3x3 basketball women, the mixed triathlon, shot putter Yemisi Ogunleye, and the handball team provided memorable Olympic moments. However, criticism of German sport is growing - and it's not primarily directed at the athletes. "Priorities need to be set in elite sports funding, and above all, clear and consistent goals need to be formulated," said Frank Ullrich, chairman of the sports committee in the Bundestag, to Spiegel.
Boll, Kerber, and Dauser retire
The 66-year-old criticized that the DOSB had only set "minimum goals" for the Olympic Games. "I personally would have wished for a different mindset from the DOSB. We need the pressure to move forward." While the DOSB called for the "perspective goal of fifth place in summer" at the end of the Paris Games, it remains unclear how this will be achieved. Tabor at least admitted: "We are not only willing for greater changes, we consider them necessary."
After table tennis star Timo Boll, tennis player Angelique Kerber, and gymnastics world champion Lukas Dauser ended their careers, German sport needs new role models. "Despite acknowledging the achievements in high-performance sports, it must be noted that, even after these Olympics, Germany is not where it should and could be in terms of sporting success," criticized CDU leader Friedrich Merz.
Uptrend in Team Sports
Many experts and politicians believe that bidding for the Summer Games could be a path to greater success. A German bid could be considered as early as 2036, but more likely in 2040. The government supports this intention, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz attending the Stade Jean-Bouin twice during the Paris days and also speaking with athletes.
"As you know, it is also our plan to consider hosting the Olympics in Germany again. So, it's inspiring to see the success we're experiencing here together," Scholz said about the successful French games, where swimmer Leon Marchand and judoka Teddy Riner also shone, becoming ambassadors of the event.
There was a remarkable upward trend in team sports. Many German national teams qualified for Paris. The beach volleyball duo of Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler won a medal, as did the women's football team, the men's hockey team, the 3x3 women's basketball team, and the handball team, which provided one of the highlights of the games with their thrilling quarterfinal victory against the host nation, France.
However, while only a few medals are awarded in team events, there are many individual sports where Germans had little chance of success. "We can't bring about change overnight. It's a mid-term process, hopefully not a marathon," said Tabor, looking ahead.
I'm not sure if the focus of improvements should only be on elite athletes and funding, as we also need to address issues in sports education at the school and kindergarten level.
Despite the achievements in high-performance sports, it's not clear that Germany is where it should and could be in terms of overall sporting success, and new role models are needed after the retirements of athletes like Timo Boll, Angelique Kerber, and Lukas Dauser.
