The European Games are over and the next multi-sport event is already coming up. From Thursday (July 6th, 2023) more than 150 German championship titles will be awarded at the Finals 2023 Rhein-Ruhr.
18 sports, 159 German championship titles: At the 2023 finals, completely different disciplines will be combined into one large multi-sport event.
Which sports are included?
Similar to the recent European Games in Poland, traditional Olympic sports and trend sports will meet at the 2023 finals. The range is large. There are competitions, for example, in athletics, swimming, apparatus gymnastics or table tennis. Spectators can also watch breakdance, BMX, 3×3 basketball or stand-up paddling.
Where are the finals held?
Most events are held in Düsseldorf and Duisburg. There are two exceptions: Except for the pole vault, the track and field champions are crowned in Kassel. The swimmers compete against each other in Berlin.
As with the European Championships in August 2022 in Munich, the competitions will not only take place at traditional sports venues, but will also be partly integrated into the cityscape. The pole vault decisions are made right on the banks of the Rhine in Düsseldorf. The archers shoot at targets that are on the water in the Media Harbor of the North Rhine-Westphalian state capital. In Duisburg’s inner harbor, spectators can watch the stand-up paddling and canoe polo competitions, among other things.
How can I watch the finals?
Those interested can visit many competitions free of charge. You need tickets for athletics, table tennis, swimming or gymnastics, for example. Those who are not there can follow the finals in detail on television. ARD and ZDF want to show more than 25 hours live in the main programs on the four days of the competition. In three additional live streams per day, there will be another 70 hours of live sports to watch.
Which stars are there?
Athletics fans can look forward to long jump Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo and double European champion Gina Lückenkemper. Table tennis star Timo Boll could make his comeback after his shoulder injury. “It’s looking good,” said the 42-year-old record European champion recently at the European Games in Kraków about his return to the record. The German top star Florian Wellbrock is missing in swimming. The 25-year-old Olympic champion decided not to compete at the World Championships in Japan because the time between the finals and the open water races was too short.
How important are the finals for the athletes?
This differs greatly between sports. For track and field athletes, the national title fights are an important stage on the way to the World Championships in Budapest at the end of August. In Kassel, tickets for the World Cup will also be awarded. There is a lot of prestige at stake in table tennis. Borussia Düsseldorf wants to take revenge in the final of the German championship for surprisingly losing the Champions League final against 1. FC Saarbrücken.
For gymnasts, the German Championships are a form test for the World Championships at the end of September, which are about qualifying for the Olympics. The focus of the best swimmers is on the World Championships, which will open on July 14 in Fukuoka. The scheduling of the finals is unfavorable for them.
Can the finals also be a test for a German Olympic bid be?
At least they are an opportunity to position the Rhine-Ruhr region as a venue for competitions in a wide variety of sports. “The finals are a good opportunity to show that we are able to host major sporting events that don’t just take place in one city, but can be made successful in cooperation between the cities,” said Düsseldorf’s Lord Mayor Stephan Keller (CDU) last. The earliest chance for another edition of Summer Games in Germany would be 2036.