"KiWo" conductor Ramhorst runs for DSV Vice President: "Don't take anything for granted, don't let anything go to waste"

When the one-day German Sailing Day begins at 9 a.m. on 27 November at Messe Dresden, the election of a new Vice-President for the Olympic Sailing and Junior Competitive Sports division will also be on the agenda. The only candidate nominated so far is Kieler Woche conductor Dirk Ramhorst. The 53-year-old top manager of a DAX company with a great deal of expertise in the fields of IT and digitalisation would like to succeed Torsten Haverland, who is handing over his duties after three terms of office in accordance with the statutes. Software engineer and economist Ramhorst enjoys strong support for his candidature from the entire German sailing scene and has been nominated by the Baden-Württemberg Sailing Association, the Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia Sailing Associations, the Kiel Yacht Club and the Bavarian Yacht Club. He is a long-standing member of both associations. Other associations and well-known clubs have already signalled their support.

The dynamo from Dänischenhagen, who is in his sixth year as Kieler Woche sports director, has no shortage of management experience in sailing and a passion for competitive sport. Ramhorst, who grew up in Bielefeld, was a successful national swimmer who competed in international World Cups and experienced the basic requirements first-hand. He says the following about his motivation to become a "double-whopper" in his honorary position: "I am a person with a lot of positive energy, which I would also like to put into the new position."

Ramhorst is characterised, among other things, by the fact that he remains level-headed even in stormy waters on the water and on land. In addition to his traditional duties as Vice President, he wants to focus more on "keeping an eye on the later careers of athletes despite the full-time commitment to sport that is required today". Here he wants to use his networks in business and sport to help build frameworks "that give the athletes further opportunities and real career prospects in addition to the strong commitment of the Bundeswehr and customs".

His predecessor Haverland did a "great job", for example leading many successful negotiations with the German Olympic Sports Confederation. "That's what I work for too," says Ramhorst, "but I want to do things a little differently, I want to use my network as a 'translator' between athletes, institutions and business. I want to try to go one step further."

Ramhorst spoke to DSV sports director Nadine Stegenwalner and Torsten Haverland before his candidature. "The talks with both of them were among the first," says Ramhorst, "both of them can well imagine my candidature. That's important to me." Ramhorst sees his main point of impact as designated DSV Vice President at the national base in Kiel-Schilksee, at the centre of German sailing performance: "I want to be where the athletes are. For example, I met Nacra 17 bronze medallists Paul Kohlhoff and Alica Stuhlemmer at Munich Airport before the election and before their current deployment at the World Championships in Oman. They were delighted with my candidature. That is also motivation for me. It is also very important to me to keep in touch not only with the big clubs, but also with the small ones. I myself once came from a small club in Bielefeld before later developing my skills in performance centres."

As a long-standing chairman of the DSV Committee for International Cooperation, Ramhorst maintains good relations with the World Sailing Association and international regatta organisations. Looking back on the three medals and other successes of the German Sailing Team at this summer's Olympic Games in Japan, he says: "It is very important that we don't take any of these successes for granted, that we don't let anything go to waste. We have to keep working hard for medals." He wants to provide the best possible support and guidance to the athletes and the German Sailing Team on the way to the 2024 Olympic regatta off Marseille and beyond.