German Olympic Sports Confederation | DOSB candidate Engelhardt: “Performance is not a negative thing”

School sports should play a key role in Engelhardt's plans. Photo: dpa/Waltraud Grubitzsch How long did you struggle with running for one of the most important positions in German sport?

This has been on my mind for years without having any concrete plans. I always had ideas about how sport can counteract undesirable developments in our society. Sport cannot solve all problems. But we have a good offer that we need to give a different weight to. The core goal must be to improve people's quality of life and coexistence within our society, which is drifting apart in many places.

How can sport strengthen solidarity?

People with very different political views meet on the premises of my club WSV Großkrotzenburg. Nevertheless, they treat each other with respect, exchange arguments and stay in conversation with each other. We see the same thing at the Olympic Games: community is created across borders. That's exactly what we urgently need: we need to get out of our bubbles and talk to each other more instead of just looking at screens.

Martin Engelhardt has been working on a voluntary basis in organized sports for 50 years in a variety of positions and, as long-time president, leads the German Triathlon Union. The 66-year-old works full-time as an orthopedic surgeon, trauma surgeon and sports doctor and heads the clinic for orthopedics, trauma and hand surgery in Osnabrück. He wants to give up his medical profession in March 2027 - and before that he would like to become the new President of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) on December 5th.

Norway has shown how such a development can be initiated. It took 12 to 20 years for the measures to really take hold. It's about healthy eating and the joy of lifelong exercise. It has been scientifically proven that a significant proportion of dementia can be prevented by controlling blood sugar and blood pressure as well as regular exercise. Anyone who has experienced the suffering that dementia means for those affected and their families knows how much we could achieve through prevention.

We have to start in schools, promote proper training for physical education teachers and coaches, and get our sports facilities in order. Performance requirements in school sports should not be taboo either. It's not about punishing children who are overweight, but rather motivating them and enabling them to experience success. But we also have to commit to performance. Performance is not a negative thing. After all, children enjoy competing with each other.

The all-day school is particularly important. How do you imagine more movement in everyday school life?

The idea of ​​60 minutes of qualified exercise a day at school is correct. But this cannot be done without political support and without the municipalities. For me, Hamburg is a positive example. A comprehensive concept was developed there under the motto “Active City”. Compromises were sought and cooperations were agreed with clubs whose coaches were employed at the schools and paid for it. This doesn't work across the board yet, but it's a start.

How much does lack of exercise cost our society?

In Germany, we now demonstrably spend more than 500 billion euros annually on the health and illness complex. Around 80 percent of the costs are due to diseases of civilization, which could at least be significantly reduced through sensible behavior and measures. Sport is an essential lever here. Not only can it improve health, but it can also have a positive impact on the mood in society.

This means that you have different priorities than Michael Mronz, who is also running for the DOSB presidency.

Because of my CV, I have other priorities. But I expressly don't want to say anything negative about Michael Mronz. He is competent and we worked well together in the executive committee for two years. He does good work in the international arena. He was very supportive of the Olympic bid process. I am convinced that together we can advance German sport more effectively with different areas of focus.

The statutes don't say that. There is only one DOSB president who has to take care of the entire spectrum of German sport. Nevertheless, the tasks can be clearly distributed. Of course, as President, I would also actively support the Olympic process. But it would make sense if Michael Mronz continued to lead the international work. He has earned a lot of trust in the IOC.

Michael Mronz is of the opinion that he would be strengthened by the presidency of the IOC, which could help Germany's Olympic bid.

I see it differently. From my point of view, what is crucial is that we have a good history and a convincing concept and that we present a united front as a German sport. We have to form a team in which the tasks are distributed according to the respective skills and priorities. Also for the Olympic bid, but we can't focus exclusively on that.

Because the application is overloaded with too many expectations?

That's a big risk. We don't know if we'll get the games. In the end, the IOC decides, and many factors play a role that are out of our control. That's why we can't put everything on one card. We must achieve positive change for athletes and citizens regardless of the application. My program must be implemented even if we don't get the Olympic Games.

Do you still exercise regularly?

This morning I walked for 40 minutes before the interview. I do this at least four times a week. I also cycle a lot in the summer. As I get older, this is a gentle and healthy form of exercise. I not only recommend this to my patients, but I also adhere to it myself.

Other media have corporations or billionaires behind them. We have the nd.Genossenschaft and readers like you. That makes us independent and that’s exactly how we want to remain. But it also means: without you the calculation won't work. We need 300,000 euros by the end of the year.

You can donate directly here, one-time or regularly, so that nd stays.