Survey as later: target debate in top sport – do you really want that?

A survey should be the beginning of a debate about why the state promotes top -class sport. Actually, you wanted to be much further.

Why should Germany spend tax money on top sport? This central question should finally be approached long overdue. The Sinus Institute survey published on Monday is said to be a start. But how does it go on? The public statements are feared: In the end, the target debate could, like so many advances in sports policy.

The German Olympic Sports Association (DOSB) and athletes Germany, the interest representation of the squad athletes, commissioned the Sinus survey and see them as “Start for a defined, deeper debate”. A joint explanation also says: “This central order from the top sports reform must now be quickly transferred to an efficient negotiation process under the new government coalition.”

Central questions continue to be clarified

That sounds surprisingly defensive compared to the originally set goals. In April 2024, more than a year ago, DOSB and athletes Germany had opened up to organize the target debate. By the summer of 2025, the perception of top sport should be presented, which has now been done by the study.

At the same time, however, it should also be checked what social benefits the competitive sport has or can have. Suggestions for updated goals of German top sports funding and recommendations for action should also be worked out.

Change of government ensures leadership vacuum

So the process is clearly paralyzing what the change of government in Berlin has to do. After bursting the traffic light coalition, under which the target debate was initiated, there was a month -long leadership vacuum in sports policy. The new black and red government is relating to a Minister for Sport and Volunteering, but Christiane Schenderlein (CDU) is new to the field of sports policy and still seems to be in the finding phase. The move of the sports department from the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) to the Chancellery is far from complete.

On the request of the Sportschau on Schenderlein, what the next steps in the target debate look like, a spokesman for the Minister of Sports Minister writes that the survey results could make an important contribution to the target debate. “The department for sports and volunteering at the Federal Chancellery will discuss – together with DOSB, athletes Germany and other participants – which concrete conclusions arise from the study for the top sports reform.”

A sobering intermediate conclusion

The DOSB also manifests itself with reluctance and refers to a regular exchange with politics. “However, we do not want to anticipate these conversations, but initially discuss it confidently how sport and politics can take the next steps together and how to incorporate the results of the study in the further process for the target debate.”

So far, little has happened and the next steps are obviously unclear – a sobering intermediate conclusion. It is also another indication of how delicate the target debate is.

Survey: Much more important than medals

The sport can feel affirmed in some points through the Sinus study. Three quarters of the population find it important that the state promotes competitive sports. It is even 81 percent in popular sports.

With the big question of what goals the competitive sport in Germany should have, however, medal successes rank very far back with 72 percent. The most important points here are the securing of ethical behavior and strengthening child and youth work in the clubs (94 percent each). The promotion of cohesion in society (91 percent) and combating discrimination (89 percent) are also far ahead.

Another study commissioned

The federal government had recently listed such social factors in the goals of sports funding in the draft for the Sports Funding Act. But can the sport fulfill these functions at all? And if so, how?

A study by the Federal Institute for Sports Sciences (BISP) deals with these questions on behalf of the BMI. There should be intermediate results this year, but the study is only finished in mid -2026. Previous scientific studies suggest that social effects of top sport are overestimated.

Does sport endanger its legitimation? Or does he strengthen her?

That is why the target debate is also tricky. Critics say that sport unnecessarily endangers its legimation. Proponents say that legitimation is on shaky feet anyway. Therefore, you have to find out which conditions the sport needs to be able to better fulfill the desired social effects.

The debate seems sensible, but also cropped. The reality usually looks like this: After a poor performance at Olympics as in Paris, the call for more money is loud from the state, often provided with the less well -founded indication that other countries would invest significantly more in top sport.

Friedrich Merz and the topic of performance

Will Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) will be in the future and refer to studies that, according to which social effects of top sport are more important than success? Of all people Friedrich Merz who associated the bad Olympic results in the election campaign with the reform of the Federal Youth Games, although this alone cannot be related?

That Friedrich Merz, to whom the word willingness to perform is so important? “Sport should be fun and desire for performance”, is even in the coalition agreement. And performance can be measured most easily in medals in sports.

Sling course in the Top sports promotion

It can be heard from the Bundestag that important politicians would like to be “continued”. So it will be exciting to observe how sports minister Schenderlein positions itself. Does she manage to end the lover course of the past few years? With the top sports reform 2015, medals should become the main currency. Sports with good chances of success should get more money, sports with lower opportunities less or no money.

The reform was softened according to the contradiction by associations and athletes, so that all Olympic sports can continue to expect state support. But is the elaborate potential analysis system Potas created in 2017 still needed? According to reports, the Potas office in Bonn could even be upgraded to the future independent independent agency for top sport – but for which it would probably need tough negotiations with organized sport.

Schenderlein: “First of all, the goal must be defined”

At the end of June, sports minister Schenderlein in the ZDF morning magazine reaffirmed the goal that Germany should perform better again at the Summer Olympics. But she also said: “First of all, the goal must be defined and then we see: How can we reach the way to it?”

So the target debate could possibly be relevant, albeit with delay. By the way: If you have read this text up to here, you belong to a minority. According to the Sinus survey, just five percent of those surveyed are very interested in the topic of competitive sports funding. And only three percent are familiar with it. Against this background, the target debate may not be as explosive as many fear.