FVM and Hennef Sports School support NRW’s bid for the Olympics: Cologne as Leading City

The Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM) and the Hennef Sports School jointly and with great conviction support the application of the CologneRhineRuhr region for the Olympic and Paralympic Games between 2036 and 2044. The application opens up a groundbreaking opportunity for sports development in the association area and in the entire Rhine-Ruhr region.

The application offers the opportunity to sustainably improve the framework conditions for sport and exercise in North Rhine-Westphalia. Voluntary work, popular sport, competitive sport and society will benefit equally from the expected impetus. The FVM and Hennef Sports School see the Olympic and Paralympic Games as a long-term driver for infrastructure development, social participation and sporting development.

The most important positive effects for popular sport at a glance:

• Modernization of municipal sports facilities: The Olympic and Paralympic Games require modern sports facilities. This is an opportunity for the sports landscape in NRW and will accelerate investment.
• Strengthening volunteering: Increased visibility and the opportunity to become part of a global sporting event as a volunteer create new motivation and recognition for volunteering.
• More visibility and members for the clubs: The application increases interest in sport and club life – especially among children and young people – and can lead to more members and greater activity in amateur and popular sport in the long term.

Christos Katzidis, President of the FVM: “As an association, we want to contribute as a strong partner to advancing sport in all its facets. The Olympic and Paralympic Games right on our doorstep in CologneRhineRuhr offer a unique opportunity to sustainably strengthen amateur and popular sport in the Middle Rhine region. That is why we support the Olympic bid and call on our members in the municipalities called upon to vote for the Olympics in the referendum.”

Dirk Brennecke, Managing Director of the FVM: “An Olympic bid depends on many players pulling together. For us at the FVM, one thing is clear: if we have the chance to shape the future, then we will seize it. Our Olympic trifecta for the referendums in the cities and municipalities is therefore: open the letter, tick yes and vote. By saying ‘yes’ to the Olympics, we will get the starting number for the German decision.”

Sascha Hendrich-Bächer, Head of the Hennef Sports School: “The Olympic and Paralympic Games stand for fairness, diversity and the unifying power of sport – values that we live by every day at the Hennef Sports School. Every day we experience how sport strengthens people and brings them together. Games in North Rhine-Westphalia can connect people across borders and create unique sporting and social encounters.”

As a Leading City, Cologne is at the center of the bid. At the same time, Aachen, Leverkusen and Pulheim are other locations in the FVM region that are earmarked as potential venues for various Olympic and Paralympic disciplines – a strong signal for the diversity of sport in the Middle Rhine region and a sensational opportunity to experience top sporting performances in the immediate vicinity.

The FVM, its soccer districts and the Hennef Sports School will constructively support the further process of the CologneRhineRuhr Olympic bid and actively shape it in the interests of amateur soccer in the Middle Rhine region.