The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) calls on its members to save at least 20 percent energy in the coming months in order to avoid blanket closures of swimming pools and sports facilities.
For this purpose, the umbrella organization provides the 90,000 sports clubs with “a detailed step-by-step plan with potential savings”. “Organized sport makes its contribution in this difficult situation and once again assumes social responsibility! In return, the interests of sport must be taken into account in all necessary decisions, because sport is more than a leisure activity,” said DOSB President Thomas Weikert.
“Sport and exercise make a decisive contribution to physical and mental well-being, sport brings people together and ensures social cohesion,” added Weikert. The DOSB expects politicians to “involve sport in all decisions that affect it”. In this way, you can work together to “develop the best possible solutions on site if there is a risk of closures”.
criticism of the government
The CEO Torsten Burmester was “disappointed” on Twitter on Sunday by the federal government’s third relief package, in which sport was not taken into account. Now he said: “Organized sport, with its 90,000 sports clubs and 27 million memberships, can develop tremendous power, including when it comes to saving energy. But this power is finite.”
Corona and the consequences: Financial reserves used up
After more than two years of the pandemic, “the reserves have been used up, many clubs will hardly be able to cope with the exploding energy costs,” said Burmester: “It cannot be that politicians repeat the mistakes of the corona pandemic and underestimate the importance of sport for society . Our sports clubs need noticeable financial relief.”
Among other things, for “short-term conversions”, which, together with suggestions for “changing user behavior”, represent one of three stages in the DOSB plan. In addition, the umbrella organization suggests “accompanying measures” and “long-term (structural) conversions”.
The German Football League had previously recommended that the clubs in the Bundesliga and the second division set an individual energy saving target of 15 to 20 percent for the current season.
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Hamburg Journal | 06.09.2022 | 19:30 o’clock
