athletics
DLV President Kessing: Convince citizens for the Olympics
DLV President Jürgen Kessing would welcome the Olympic Games in Germany. photo
© Martin Schutt/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa
Olympics in Germany? The president of the track and field athletes sees this as an opportunity. On the way there you have to convince the citizens better than was the case in the past.
Jürgen Kessing, President of the German Athletics Association, faces a German Olympia bid positive towards.
“If there is a chance to bring the Olympic Games to Germany, then we would be the last to disagree. On the contrary: I don’t think you can always complain when the Olympic Games are awarded to despotic states without yourself to say: Okay, then we’ll make an alternative, sustainable offer. If I don’t do that, I’ve forfeited the right to complain,” said Kessing in an interview with the newspapers of the Funke media group.
“In this respect, I think it’s good that there are new efforts here. The distances between different cities or regions are not insurmountable – then you can also divide it up in the interests of sustainability and use the many existing sports facilities,” said SPD politician Kessing . “That was the case in Munich, you could also offer rowing in Duisburg, horseback riding in Aachen, sailing in Kiel and whitewater canoeing in Augsburg. There are many possibilities. You can improve the transport routes, and we would all benefit from it for the future. “
DOSB wants another Olympic application
His party colleague, Munich’s Lord Mayor Dieter Reiter, has already clearly positioned himself in the debate about a possible Olympic bid for the Bavarian state capital. The interest in the summer games is simply greater for the population, said Reiter.
The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) is starting a new attempt for an Olympic application. With the “Your idea. Your games” campaign, the umbrella organization wants to win over German citizens for its project. The last Olympic Games were held in Germany in 1972. Subsequently, applications were unsuccessful in series, also because the citizens were against it. “It’s the ravages of time – and if I ask the citizens, then I have to convince them too. That may have been neglected a bit in the past,” said Kessing.
The DOSB is now initially considering a joint Olympic candidacy for several German cities for 2036 and 2040 in summer or 2038 and 2042 in winter.
“Olympics is an infrastructure program and other countries use it for themselves. Why should we just stand there and be the financiers for others? We can also use it ourselves. Our infrastructure is so outdated. It’s about time that we process them again,” said Kessing, Mayor of Bietigheim-Bissingen.