The Federal Ministry of the Interior will revoke the status of federal Nordic skiing base for the Winterberg/Willingen winter sports region from 2023. The Hessian Ministry of the Interior and Sport announced this on Friday and reacted with clear criticism of Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.
The decision means a “severe setback” for the region, the statement said.
At the Willingen sports location, where a ski jumping World Cup is planned for the beginning of February, there will no longer be any financial support from the federal government for full-time employees who train Hessian winter sports offspring and squad athletes in the key disciplines of Nordic skiing and biathlon.
The Hessian sports minister Peter Beuth reacted disappointed. “Today the Federal Ministry of the Interior removed the basis for competitive sport in the Upland. The base that led Stephan Leyhe to the top of the world and is also home to Jochen Behle has lost its national importance with this decision,” said Beuth. The news is “stunned”.
Beuth was particularly annoyed about the date of the announcement. “The fact that such a far-reaching decision is deliberately communicated immediately before a public holiday is bold and unstylish. Federal Minister of the Interior Faeser turns off the light on competitive sport in Willingen.”