danzmann(at)stiftungzukunftberlin.eu
Phone: +49 (0)30 26 39 229-11
Sports Metropolis Berlin
We are committed to strengthening the role of sport in Berlin’s future development. In accordance with our objectives, our focus is on mass sport and its relevance to public welfare. We are currently engaged in scientifically supported projects on the importance of sport in preventive health care, as a means to promote integration and on the role of the media as multipliers to increase the broad impact of what Berlin has to offer in the way of sport. By conducting model projects, we aim to raise public awareness of sport in all its different facets as a significant factor in the city’s future.
"Sport is as much a feature of Berlin as the Brandenburg Gate. It is an important economic and image factor and an indispensable contributor to the unique quality of life that Berlin offers." – Werner Gegenbauer
"To compete with other destinations worldwide, a city must project an aura of vitality. Sports Metropolis combines joie de vivre, commitment and motivation, health and social integration." – Klaus Böger
International Highlights, Mass Sports and Sport as an Economic Factor
Berlin is a world-class sports metropolis. It regularly hosts international sporting highlights such as the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in the summer of 2009, the 2010 European Beach Volleyball Championship and the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Events like the Berlin Marathon and the Six-Day Race show that every year sport has a massive following in Berlin and a firm place among the city’s attractions.
Berlin is not only the venue for international sporting events, club sport is also top-notch in Berlin: the teams of Hertha BSC, the 1st FC Union, Alba Berlin, the Eisbären (Polar Bears) ice hockey club and the Füchse (Foxes) handball club play in the First and Second National Leagues. In addition, mass sport is a firm feature in the lives of many Berliners, whether they are members of one of the approximately 2,000 clubs belonging to Berlin’s Regional Sports Association or pursue their sporting activities in private initiatives.
For Berlin, sport is an economic and location factor of growing importance, a motor for social integration and a mark of Berlin’s strength. Berlin is also a centre of international sport science, a place where world-class athletes study and train and where modern sports equipment is developed.