The path is new, the goal is clear: by joining forces, five state associations and five performance-orientated clubs in German sailing want to create a joint infrastructure for the promotion of young talent on course for possible Olympic and Paralympic Games in Germany in 2036, 2040 or 2044.
On course for the Olympics together: contract signed on 22 May
In Germany, the selection of candidates is currently underway in the national race for the rights to host the Olympics and Paralympics of the future. With Hamburg, Munich, Berlin and Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr, four major candidates are vying to be sent into the international candidate race as the German challenger. The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) will decide on 26 September which of the four candidates will be sent into the international race.
Depending on this decision, it will then also become clearer which sailing area can be included for a possible third Olympic Games in Germany. Hamburg and Munich have already known to Kiel, Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr is keeping the decision open. Berlin goes with Rostock-Warnemünde. For the people of Kiel, who have already hosted an Olympic sailing regatta twice in 1936 and 1972 and whose citizens' vote on 19 April was in favour of matches in their own cityThe new association and club initiative is now providing additional tailwind.
The initiators said in a statement that they wanted to "join forces, focus their work and pave the way for Kiel's Olympic bid". The foundation stone has been laid for a joint training centre in Kiel. The aim is to build an infrastructure "for the targeted promotion of young talent with a view to the Olympic Games in 20236, 2040 or 2044". The state sailing associations from Bavaria, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein signed the basic agreement on 22 May.
Five strong organisations support the initiative
The aim is to train and promote junior squads (NK 1 and NK 2). The aim is to optimise the transition to the national squad at the DSV national base. Five high-performance clubs are in the same boat as the regional associations for this ambitious initiative: the Bayerischer Yacht-Club, the Blankeneser Segel-Club, the Kieler Yacht-Club, the Mühlenberger Segel-Club and the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein. Together, they have launched the large-scale project known as the "junior sailing centre".
"The fact that the five state sailing associations from Bavaria, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein are jointly backing Kiel-Schilksee as a sailing location confirms the potential that exists here. With a view to possible Olympic and Paralympic Games in Germany, this step clearly shows that there is no way around Kiel.Sailing.City," said Kiel's mayor Gerwin Stöcken, welcoming the co-operation.
According to those involved, the initiative was spurred on by the realisation "that sailors can find ideal sailing conditions and opportunities for cooperation off Kiel in preparation for top-class regattas and championships". In addition, "the 1972 Olympic Centre provides the infrastructural basis for training camps and regatta preparations". This basis has already brought the squad and training groups from state sailing associations to Kiel. However, the capacities of the Olympic Centre are limited. This is where the initiative comes in.
Jochen Schümann's memories of the Olympic youth camp
With the signing of the basic agreement, all parties involved have committed to the construction of a new performance centre in Kiel. It will also provide accommodation and catering for young sailors. Athletics and other training facilities are also planned, as well as storage facilities for boats and support boats and possibly a workshop and office space (as a sharing model).
The regional associations and clubs also expect to save resources from their joint "Kiel course". In particular, dinghies, coaching resources and equipment can be shared locally and transport and transfers can be saved. According to the initiators, the proximity to the DSV's Federal Sailing Training Centre could have a performance-enhancing effect on young talent and create positive synergies.
Jochen Schümann, who was at the Olympic youth camp in Kiel four years before winning the first of his three gold medals in 1976 in the Finn Dinghy in Kingston during the 1972 Olympic Games, often knew what proximity to high-performance sports centres and perhaps also to the Olympic Games again can mean to young talents. Schümann often talked about his formative experiences, fondly remembering his time in Kiel, Munich and other places in 1972.
Dual objective: Better training and strengthening Kiel's Olympic bid
His memory: "In 1972, I was allowed to go to the Olympic youth camp. We were treated almost like Olympians and were allowed to go almost everywhere. It was extremely impressive. The regatta itself was not so nice with little wind and fog, but the live experience was unbeatable. We were also in Munich - in between half of Germany, which you could see. As a small Ossi, I saw the big world more openly than ever imaginable. And suddenly I was a part of it."
"It is a lesson learnt from observing other successful nations and the past Olympic Games that the promotion of talented athletes must be started early and in a targeted manner. We need to work even more closely together among the state sailing associations," says Jan-Dirk Tenge, Chairman of the Schleswig-Holstein Sailing Association.
The basic agreement states: "We are primarily pursuing the strategic goal of providing targeted training and support for junior squads at a central location in order to optimise the transition to the national squad at the DSV national base. By selecting Kiel-Schilksee as a training centre, we are also declaring our joint support for the state capital of Kiel in its bid to host the sailing competitions for the 2036, 2040 or 2044 Olympic Games in Germany."
First building block: the 1972 Youth Olympic Village
The first component of the joint project is the cooperation with the Kieler Jugenderholung association to accommodate training groups in the former Olympic Youth Village from 1972 on Falckensteiner Strand. The former Olympic Youth Village, which is around three kilometres from Schilksee, is currently being extensively renovated in two construction phases. In the first phase, it is planned to refurbish 17 tented roof houses to a contemporary standard. Everything from full board to self-catering will be possible there.
With the christening of a new coach boat, the Sailing Association of Schleswig-Holstein (SVSH) has just documented its ambitions to raise the infrastructure for training the squad to a new level. The SVSH procured the six metre long, 100 hp motorboat together with the Schleswig-Holstein State Sports Association (LSV). LSV President Barbara Ostmeier christened the boat and said with a view to the major offensive: "This is also a strong commitment to the Olympics. Now we have to continue to mobilise all our forces for Kiel until the final decision is made as to which sailing city Germany will enter the race to host the Olympic Games."
Five state sailing associations and five performance-orientated clubs are joining forces - here in Kiel-Schilksee, the heart of German sailing. Kiel-Schilksee combines Olympic heritage with an Olympic future." Barbara Ostmeier
Two more coach boats are christened during Kiel Week. This purchase was only possible thanks to the support of the state of Schleswig-Holstein, which is behind the idea of a "junior sailing centre" in Kiel.
Schleswig-Holstein's Minister of the Interior Magdalena Finke said: "There is a reason why Kiel's national sailing centre is the only one of its kind in Germany. Sailors will find the best conditions here to optimally prepare for European and World Championships and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The fact that the largest sailing associations within the German Sailing Federation are now joining forces in Kiel to train the next generation of sailors here is a strong sign of the outstanding expertise of the Kiel location." Magdalena Finke
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
