If a German city decides to bid for the Olympics, then Kiel would like the Olympic and Paralympic sailing races to be organised on the fjord, which has already hosted two Olympic regattas in the history of the Olympic Games.
Kiel's new Lord Mayor Ulf Kämpfer emphasised this at the halfway point of the 120th Kiel Week in the Kiel-Schilksee Olympic Centre. Ulf Kämpfer said: "If there is a German bid, then it has to be Schilksee for the sailors. And I think it would be Germany's turn once again." Kämpfer pointed to "close contacts behind the scenes" with Hamburg and said: "This is not just a Kiel story."
Right at his first Kiel Week, Ulf Kämpfer dared to get on board the fast trimaran "Musandam-Oman Sail" and steered the projectile for around half an hour under the guidance of professional Tim Kröger. "That was very cool," said the likeable politician, who had previously taken part in a regatta on the sailing training ship "Thor Heyerdahl". "Tradition and modernity are both part of Kiel Week," said Kämpfer after his super sailing day on the fjord, "they offered me two very exciting facets."
For the new incumbent, it was his first time sailing at the 120th Kieler Woche. Kämpfer enjoyed sailing so much that he soon wants to take his nine-year-old son on a sailing course. "First he has to get his bronze swimming badge and then I'll get him to do it," said Kämpfer.
In view of the appeal of organising a third Olympic regatta in the Kiel area, Kämpfer assumes that Hamburg will commit to Schleswig-Holstein when it comes to the Olympics. This would eliminate Rostock as a competitor, says Kämpfer. And even in comparison with Travemünde, the state capital has the better cards as the location of the national training centre and due to its infrastructure: "The knowledge of the area is an advantage for the athletes that should not be given away."
However, Kiel has not yet officially thrown its hat into the ring: "It would certainly be unwise to be quicker than Hamburg. But we won't miss the boat. It has already been discussed in the council and I have been asked to raise my hand in favour of the Olympics," said Kämpfer.
The Paralympic competitions would then also be organised in conjunction with the Olympics. And the state capital has already positioned itself for this. Since this Kiel Week, the new wheelchair ramp to the jetty has also made the sailing event much more popular with Paralympic starters. "Until now, Kiel was the regatta venue that we wheelchair users didn't want to go to in order to avoid the complications of being hoisted onto the jetty," said Robert Prem, two-time Paralympic medallist on board Jens Kroker's Sonar. Now we have a showpiece.
The driving force behind the construction of the facility for around a decade was Heiko Kröger, the 2000 Paralympics winner in the 2.4mR and former Sportsman of the Year in Kiel. "I was a bit of a terrier when it came to this topic. It must be a matter of course that disabled and non-disabled people have 100 per cent equal rights. Finances shouldn't be the deciding factor," says Kröger, whose perseverance has now been rewarded.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
