Berlin Partner: Detail

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With the Special Olympics World Games 2023, the world's largest inclusive sporting event, Berlin hosted an absolute highlight this summer in the sports metropolis of Berlin - and other sporting events were not long in coming: The Archery World Championships and the ISTAF 2023 have come to a successful end, while the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON is already on the horizon. Hertha BSC and 1. FC Union Berlin have started their seasons and successfully won the first round of the DFB Pokal games. Alba Berlin, Füchse Berlin, BR Volleys and Eisbären Berlin are either still in the final stages of preparation or have recently played their first match.

And the coming year also promises exciting sporting highlights. The EHF EURO 2024 will take place in January with the preliminary round games of the German national handball team in the Mercedes-Benz Arena. The next flagship event will be in the summer with the UEFA EURO 2024, and the final in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.

Reason enough for the sports metropolis Berlin to celebrate its kick-off to the upcoming season. On the topic of “On your marks, get set, go! What do elite sports in Berlin need for the city to continue as the number 1 sports metropolis in Germany?" the initiative Sportmetropole Berlin invited guests from sports, politics, business and culture to the Verti Music Hall. After the welcoming address by the Governing Mayor, Kai Wegner, Dr. Nicola Böcker-Giannini, State Secretary for Sport, Lisa Unruh, Bronze medallist for archery in Tokyo 2021, Kaweh Niroomand, spokesperson for the Berlin professional clubs of the initiative Sportmetropole Berlin, and Christian Jost, Managing Director SCC Events GmbH, discussed a long-term strategy, vision and the challenges for the sports metropolis Berlin. Another exciting topic: the all-German bid for the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The start of the season in the sports metropolis Berlin illustrates the social and economic value of sport in Berlin and consolidates it at the highest political level. In this way, the importance should move more firmly onto the political agenda and enable a dialogue between sport, business and politics.

The governing mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner: "With its rich sporting history and an impressive range of sporting activities, Berlin has established itself as a true sports metropolis. The city breathes and lives sport, from the world-famous marathons to the thousands of fans of our Bundesliga clubs - be it for football, handball, basketball, volleyball, ice hockey and many other sports. People from all over the world come together in Berlin to live out their passion for sport. Berlin is a stage for sporting dreams, a place where records are broken and new heroes are born. In our arenas, on our sports fields or in the parks - you can feel the pulse of sport and the incomparable energy throughout the sports metropolis Berlin."

Iris Spranger, Senator for the Interior and Sport: "Special Olympics World Games 2023, ISTAF, Berlin Marathon, European Handball Championships 2024, EuroLeague Final Four in basketball, UEFA EURO 2024 - Berlin is the host for national and international sporting events. We continue to prove that the capital rightly bears its name as a sports metropolis. Sport overcomes borders, it connects, it unites and therefore is a wonderful symbol for the united, diverse Berlin of today. I stand for both, I advocate for both – for our capital of sport and for solidarity. With today's event, we are setting a united example - networked between business, sport and politics - and looking to the future of Berlin as a sports metropolis".

Lisa Unruh, Bronze medallist archery Tokyo 2021: “Berlin is not called a “sports metropolis” for nothing and is rightly a sporting city. Sport contributes to the fact that Berlin is colourful and diverse and that there is always something for the residents to get excited about. The atmosphere that sport gives you is irreplaceable and hopefully it stays that way!"

Dr. Stefan Franzke, CEO of Partner für Berlin: “The sports metropolis of Berlin is characterised by strong collaboration, a great diversity and quality that is not found in any other city in Europe. We have just seen that again during the Special Olympics World Games, where the whole sporting world was a guest here. The city is internationally appreciated as a venue for major sporting events, because Berlin, like sport itself, stands for cosmopolitanism, community, integration and freedom. Berlin without sport wouldn’t be Berlin: It represents the city, promotes a sense of cohesion and solidarity, strengthens the economy and the image. In doing so, it makes an enormous contribution to the German capital."

Kaweh Niroomand, Spokesperson for the Berlin professional clubs of the Sports Metropolis Berlin Initiative: "Our sports metropolis Berlin not only unites the major professional clubs, the State Sports Association, the representatives of the largest sports venues and the organisers of major events, it also represents a set of values with a sense of charisma and is therefore so important for our society. Diversity, a sense of community, tolerance and willingness to perform – these are just a few of the concepts that are conveyed to the population through daily interactions in sport. This combination enjoys a high reputation both nationally and internationally and, with its many successes, is both a brand ambassador and an economic factor for our capital. But we cannot rest on our laurels. It takes initiatives, investments and joint efforts in popular and elite sports to make our vibrant sports metropolis as successful for the future as it already is today.”

Christian Jost, Managing Director of SCC Events GmbH: “The sports metropolis of Berlin gives us the opportunity to present Berlin as an active and open-minded city. Events such as the BMW BERLIN MARATHON organised by SCC EVENTS or the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON transport values such as fairness, acceptance and tolerance out into the world in addition to the popular and elite sporting aspects. In this way, we use the sports metropolis and our events to promote a Berlin without discrimination and homophobia.

About the sports city Berlin: It has a unique density and diversity of sport with 729,622 memberships in Berlin sports clubs, the enthusiasm for sport of its citizens, the diverse mass sports with its over 2,500 clubs, the major international events, the professional clubs and over 120 national lists as well as the traditional sporting events. The BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, the ISTAF, the Sixdays and the six professional clubs are beacons of the sports metropolis Berlin with their high-reach brands that radiate far beyond the borders of the capital. The sports metropolis is characterised by strong cooperation, great diversity and a quality that is unique.

About the Sports Metropolis Berlin Initiative: Staying at the top
The “Sports Metropolis Berlin Initiative” was founded in 2009 to ensure that Berlin remains a world-class city for elite sports. It markets the German capital nationally and internationally as THE metropolis for sports. In this cooperation, which is unique in Germany, the important decision-makers in Berlin’s sports and business sectors have joined forces: Berlin’s top clubs and largest sports facilities, the Berlin Olympic base, Landessportbund e.V., the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, the Senate Department for the Interior, Digitalisation and Sport, as well as the Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce, visitBerlin and Berlin Partner, who coordinates the Sports Metropolis Berlin Initiative.

Supported by the cooperation partner Deutsche Kreditbank AG (DKB), the elite sport in Berlin has a common communication platform.

The partners of the Sports Metropolis Berlin Initiative: