The finals remain a success story: The fourth edition of the multisport event on the Rhine and Ruhr as well as in Kassel and Berlin attracted around 210,000 fans to the competition venues – the organizers are enthusiastic, the DOSB boss dreams of the Olympics.
“The high expectations were more than exceeded” it said in a statement from the organizers. The number of spectators from the previous year (220,000) was almost reached again, but at that time the athletics competitions took place in the Berlin Olympic Stadium, which had a capacity of more than 70,000 spectators. In contrast, the capacity in the Auestadion in Kassel was 13,000 visitors.
“The best German championship so far”
Pole vault champion Bo Kanda Lita Baehre celebrated the title fights mainly thanks to the proximity to the spectators: “For me, that was the best German championship so far. After all, I live in Düsseldorf. I absorbed the atmosphere here. It was incredibly cool that so many people were there.”he said after his competition on the banks of the Rhine.
The mood in the inland port of Duisburg was also euphoric. “Insane, that was just insane! After the prelim, I thought at first that it wouldn’t work, but then the audience just pushed me forward.”said para-canoeist Felicia Laberer, for example.
Weikert thinks ahead – to the Olympic Games
DOSB President Thomas Weikert also drew a positive conclusion in the Sportschau interview: “Everything goes down well with the fans, the finals show that events with many sports are socially acceptable in Germany. You can only continue like this and hope that we will soon be able to host even larger sports events such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games here in the country. But we first clarify all this with the people in our country, with the economy – and sustainability always plays a major role.”
A total of 159 championship titles were awarded in 18 sports. ARD and ZDF broadcast the multi-sport event live on television for more than 25 hours and streamed in the media libraries for more than 70 hours.
On the Rhine and Ruhr, the visitors also celebrated the “exotics” in fast-paced BMX competitions, on the water in canoe polo, with stand-up paddling or on the climbing wall. Even an impending thunderstorm on Sunday didn’t spoil the mood, the organizers reacted and tightened the schedule.
Next edition in two years
The next venue for “The Finals” is the Saxon state capital Dresden from July 31 to August 3, 2025. Due to the Summer Olympics in Paris and the postponement of the European Athletics Championships in Rome at short notice, the organizers considered it impossible to hold the event in 2024.
“In Dresden, the Finals 2025 will continue to grow in their fifth edition. Together with the state capital Dresden, the top sports associations as well as ARD and ZDF, we will further develop the multi-sports event”promises Managing Director Hagen Bossdorf.