Athlete President Karla Borger: "Olympics in Germany is a huge opportunity"

Created: 2023-01-02 15:12

By: Nico-Marius Schmitz

With a new team partner: Karla Borger (left) plays with Sandra Ittlinger from Gröbenzell.

© IMAGO/BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/Tom Bloch

The sporting year 2022 was also determined by political discussions.

But does an athlete have to comment on such topics at all?

Do the athletes have more of a say now?

Our newspaper spoke to Karla Borger (34), volleyball player and president of “Athleten Deutschland” about this.

Karla Borger, the sports year was also overshadowed by political discussions.

Do you think an athlete has to speak out on political issues because of his reach and role model function?

I don't think there is a "must" there.

I myself have a clear opinion and I also comment publicly on the topics.

Ultimately, you have to leave it up to each athlete.

It's true, if you want to perform, you have to concentrate on yourself.

But you can see that more and more athletes are using various platforms to position themselves.

You have the chance to initiate and change things.

But we are not responsible.

We can't yet have a say in where a World Cup will take place, for example.

But I have the feeling that this will change drastically, also internationally, and athletes will have more and more influence.

Also influence where the next Olympic Games will be awarded?

At least in Germany, the athletes' commission should be much more involved than before.

At least that's what is said.

We have to monitor to what extent the athletes are really involved and their suggestions are implemented or heard.

One gets the impression that the right of the athletes to have a say in the associations can often still be expanded.

It's a pity that we often don't get organized so well internationally, especially internationally.

An example: The world volleyball association sent us an email a few days ago that there will be a new official match ball from next season – the first tournament will take place in February, and according to our information the balls will not be freely available on the market until April at the earliest .

In advance, only top 100 games are equipped with a maximum of four balls per team.

This is about competitive sport and it's about the Olympics.

If we had organized ourselves and asked the association if they had a bird, we might have been able to change something.

So far, I think I've been the only player who has spoken publicly about it.

You won't get any further with an "it's just like that".

The European Championships in Munich made many people want to go to the Olympics in Germany.

How do you feel about this?

You just have to manage to make the Olympics really sustainable.

I would be happy about the added value that the games can bring to sport in Germany.

To do this, however, it must first be worked out why the population in Germany has already decided against the Olympics several times.

There are a lot of construction sites in Sport Germany right now.

An Olympic application must not ensure that other things have to take a back seat.

But of course: the Olympics in Germany would be a hit and a huge opportunity.

After the World Championships in Athletics, the topic of promoting sports flared up again.

Is there a rethink now?

also read

Swiss Schumi neighbors unpack: "He was among us"

READ

Celebrity Zoff escalates: Boris Becker apparently files a criminal complaint against Cathy Hummels

READ

Resignation after Clemens bankruptcy?

Gerwyn Price complains about German fans and deletes Instagram

READ

Darts sensation: Clemens presents Price - number one irritates with a headphone maneuver that has never been seen before

READ

Schliersee New Year's Eve run: 300 starters take part - best time for 7.5 kilometers, a good 25 minutes

READ

Fancy a voyage of discovery?

My space

It is being dealt with, but not yet with the openness and the right exchange that is needed.

That's my feeling.

It has to be tackled properly.

If you want competitive sport in Germany, you have to have the right structures.

In the middle of the season, many athletes do not yet know whether they can finance the next season.

The question is: why do we need the huge associations?

The distribution of funds must be much more tailored to the needs of individual sports and athletes.

The sporting year 2022 also had positive sides.

The hype, for example, that the women's national team in football triggered.

You could see at the World Cup in Qatar that women, who I thought were great, were represented as experts everywhere.

Athletes generally speak more openly about issues and bring their concerns to the table.

This is a great development and a great impetus.

Even if the newly founded group of experts of the DFB shows that diversity has often not yet reached the top of the associations.

The cast is unhappy, you can see that critically.

Sure, it's still "only" about the men's national team, but the youth and women's departments should be involved much more intensively.

I doubt that everyone feels represented by the panel of experts.

It is currently being discussed whether Russian athletes should be reintegrated and take part in the Olympics.

How do you see it?

It's a fact that Russia has cheated world sport for years.

In addition, there are already the first athletes who have already qualified for Paris.

How long do you have to test Russian athletes for doping before they are re-admitted to make sure it’s fair?

I think there should have been regular testing for at least a year.

And can you really expect Ukrainian athletes to take part in a competition with Russian athletes?

I am currently not of the opinion that Russian athletes are allowed to start in Paris.

You have a new team partner in Sandra Ittlinger (Gröbenzell, the joint podcast Life is a beach appears once a week) and you want to qualify for Paris.

So are you starting the new year with a lot of energy?

Especially after training, it doesn't feel like momentum (laughs).

Yes, my motivation is huge again.

We have to give every training session full throttle and don't have that much time to warm up.

But that also makes a big difference.

I think it will be my last games.

You're already thinking: Hey, that's a cool life you're leading, bang it all out again!

Interview by Nico Marius Schmitz