The German federal government still considers the nation’s sports funding to be “well positioned” even though the Olympic medal table shows a negative trend. On Monday, spokesperson Stefan Kornelius told the dts news agency that the objectives, sport‑promotion measures and the necessary improvements have all been laid out and that these decisions do not diminish the performance of the athletes who competed at the Games.
He added that the global sports landscape is undergoing strong change and that Germany’s sport promotion is, in his view, already in a good position. With the planned reforms, he said, the country can set new performance targets, a goal that the Sports Promotion Act is intended to support.
When asked why a country such as the Netherlands has become more successful at both the Summer and Winter Olympics than Germany, Kornelius declined to speculate. “These national rankings are very subjective and likely rooted in specific factors, which should be examined professionally” he said. “But let’s keep this from becoming politicised”.
Germany finished fifth in the medal standings at the Winter Games in Italy, earning eight gold, ten silver and eight bronze medals for a total of 26. That is one medal fewer than in Beijing four years earlier, and the team recorded four fewer Olympic victories. It is the first time since Sochi 2014 that Germany no longer ranks among the top three winter‑sports nations.