Minister for Sport Nancy Faeser welcomes returning Olympians
News Sport 12 August 2024
"The Olympic Games in Paris were an inspiring and thrilling celebration of sport."
Today, the German athletes who competed in the Olympic Summer Games in Paris were welcomed back to Germany by Federal Minister of the Interior and for Sport Nancy Faeser. Many of the Olympians travelled together by train to Cologne.
After the men’s European football championship in Germany, the Olympic Games in Paris have now also come to an end. Federal Minister Faeser highlighted the fact that this "fantastic summer of sport in the heart of Europe"
has shown that major sporting events can bring people together peacefully. She also stressed that this was made possible in particular by the "security forces’ strong commitment to keeping everyone safe".
Federal Minister Faeser gave special thanks to the 300 German police officers who were on duty in Paris and protected the German-French border.
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"The Olympic Games in Paris were an inspiring and thrilling celebration of sport. We congratulate our French friends on these unforgettable Games!"
Federal Minister of the Interior and for Sport Nancy Faeser upon the Olympians’ return to Germany
Role models for future generations
The Olympians have returned to Germany following their major success, bringing back a total of 12 gold, 13 silver and eight bronze medals. "We are proud of the German athletes – they performed outstandingly in many disciplines and did an exceptional job at representing our country. It was clear that it was a dream come true for many of the athletes,"
Federal Minister Faeser said. One of the highlights in Paris was Isabell Werth’s performance – she won both a gold and a silver medal, making her the most decorated Olympian in German history, with a total of eight gold and six silver medals. Also, Darja Varfolomeev won Germany’s first ever gold medal in rhythmic gymnastics, and the German canoeists achieved a fantastic result, winning a total of two gold, two silver and two bronze medals. Team Germany as a whole performed very impressively in the various disciplines. Federal Minister Faeser now hopes that these athletes can be role models for many children and young people in Germany.
Returning Olympians
Source: picture alliance - lars heidrich
Sport funding and Germany’s Olympic bid
Shortly before the Olympic Games in France, the Federal Government decided by cabinet decision to support a German Olympic bid. In the joint declaration signed by Federal Minister Faeser, the partners involved defined the objectives and premises of the bid: the Games should benefit the entire country, promote sport and involve the public, and resources should be used in a sustainable way in all respects. As much as possible, existing sports facilities are to be used in order to avoid building new infrastructure.
Federal Minister Faeser said: "France has shown how hosting the Olympic Games can inspire an entire generation to take up sport and achieve sporting excellence. We, too, want to generate this kind of motivation for sport in Germany. We want another Home Match for our athletes. That’s why, in Paris, we presented our plan for a new German Olympic bid."
In addition, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community will put forward to the Federal Cabinet a draft bill on funding for high-performance sport. The bill aims to fundamentally modernise the funding of high-performance sport in Germany, making it more transparent and reducing bureaucracy. The conditions for training and competition in Germany are also to be improved. To this end, despite the difficult budgetary situation, funding for high-performance sport has been increased by over 40 million euros.