Sports are a focus in the election manifestos of several Germany’s political parties despite the other pressing issues facing the country in the lead up to elections on February 23.

While the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), the center-right Christian Democrats (CDU), Greens, the neoliberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) and left-wing Left Party address sports in relative detail, the Sarah Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) is largely reticent.

And sports do not even appear in the election manifesto of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Many of the parties’ statements on the topic are rather generic, few are specific.

But here is what we know.

Olympic and Paralympic Games

The CDU, SPD, Greens and FDP promise to support a German bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This would likely be for the 2036 or 2040 event.

Though some parties add provisos. For instance, the FDP will only support bids “provided they meet ecological, economic and humanitarian standards as well as the traditional values of sport.”

The Greens, meanwhile, set requirements in terms of sustainability. Existing sports facilities would have to be included in the bid and “new ones to be built would have to be made usable for the public.”

“Those who benefit financially from hosting the Olympic Games should pay taxes on the proceeds and pay the usual municipal fees for events,” the Greens say.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) normally obtains tax privileges from Olympic bidders.

Sports minister

Only the conservative CDU has taken up the demand frequently voiced by the German sports associations and is calling for a minister responsible solely for sports.

“We are reorganizing the political structures of sports, placing sport policy in the Federal Chancellery and appointing a Minister of State for Sports and Volunteering,” the CDU promises.

Sports currently falls under the Interior Ministry.

Sports as a national objective

“We want to enshrine sports as a national objective in the German constitution in order to use the power of sports to strengthen health, social participation, inclusion and integration,” writes the SPD in its election manifesto.

In doing so, the Social Democrats are meeting a demand that the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) has been making for two decades. It would need a two-thirds majority in the Bundestag to amend Germany’s basic law, but they would have the support of Die Linke, another party that wants sports to be a national objective.

Promotion of sports

The SPD and Greens want to continue with the planned, but not yet adopted, Sports Promotion Act, which would see the establishment of a dedicated funding agency for sports.

The law aims to improve the competitiveness of top athletes by securing reliable funding.

But their former coalition partner, the FDP remains rather vague on the matter. The business-friendly Free Democrats want to promote top-class sports “with clear goals and efficient structures.”

The CDU is also rather unclear. “Only with the best training conditions, the best support, also with regard to physical and mental health, can we achieve a change in trend towards more medals at major events,” it writes.

In their own words, the CDU wants to expand dual careers — the combination of a more traditional career and one in elite sport in order to prepare athletes for a fulfilling life after sports. “In addition to the military, police and customs as pillars of elite sport, we will also support local authorities and companies in the future.”

Gender in sports

The Greens have a different focus.

“We specifically promote the interests of girls and women with our sports policy, and we also have the interests of queer people in mind,” its party manifesto says. “Two important means of achieving this are gender budgeting [promoting gender equality through the distribution of funds in public budgets] and equal pay.”

The Left also believes that sports programs and sports funding must be “gender-equitable.”

The BSW’s plans are the polar opposite. The party wants to revoke the new self-determination law that has been in force since November 2024, which makes it easier for transgender, intersex and non-binary people to have their gender registration and first names changed. The BSW also refers to sports in this context: “Allowing biological men who feel like women to compete in the women’s category is unfair and contradicts the core idea of sporting competition.”

Grassroots sport

All parties that mention sports in their election manifestos claim to want to promote grassroots sports, for example, by making money available for the renovation of dilapidated sports facilities.

According to their own statements, the CDU and the Left Party want to ensure that all children in Germany can swim by the time they finish primary school. Currently, around 20% of 6 to 10 year olds are non-swimmers.

The CDU and FDP are aiming to maintain the “Federal Youth Games with a competitive character.” These annual sporting events have been held at German schools since 1979.

In 2023, there was a controversial reform of the Federal Youth Games that made them less competetive and added more playful elements.

The BSW promises, if elected, to introduce a federal government subsidy of up to €150 ($157) per child for the first year of a sports club membership.

Esports

As for esports, the CDU promises to recognize it as a sport worthy of non-profit status.”

Non-profit associations enjoy tax advantages in Germany. To gain this status, tax authorities must recognize that organizations, “selflessly promote the general public in material, spiritual or moral terms,” the law states, including the “promotion of sports.”

The Greens and FDP have also announced that they want to grant esports — competitions between computer gamers who compete individually or in teams — charitable status.

According to estimates by Germany’s esports national association, around 3 million mainly young people play esports in Germany, where there are 250 clubs.

This article was originally written in German.