Elite sports reform: “SpoFo-Map” validation workshop on September 29, 2025

On September 29, 2025, we invite the participants of the Sports Ministers Conference, currently chaired by the state of Baden-Württemberg, to take part in the validation workshop for the “SpoFo-Map” project, which is being jointly implemented by the German Sport University Cologne, Athletes Germany, and the DOSB.

The workshop will take place on Monday, September 29, 2025, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Project background

As part of the ongoing reform of elite sport, the federal government, the states, and organized sport launched a structured process at the beginning of 2023 to further develop support for competitive and elite sport. One key finding was that the wide range of support available to squad athletes has not yet been systematically recorded in its entirety and is therefore not sufficiently transparent or accessible.

As part of the elite sports reform, the Federal-State Sports Working Group has identified the development of a digital funding map as a worthwhile task and has initiated a corresponding sub-working group in order to obtain a building block for more targeted, needs-oriented, and effective funding of squad athletes.

This project is being funded by the German Federal Institute for Sports Science (BISp) as part of the “SpoFo-Map” service research project. It is being implemented by the Institute of European Sports Development and Leisure Studies at the German Sport University Cologne. The client is Athleten Deutschland; the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) is a project partner.

Scope of Workshop

The workshop is aimed specifically at institutions and stakeholders who play a key role in supporting elite athletes. It focuses on two objectives:

• Strategic: Introducing stakeholders to the digital funding map, testing its resonance and acceptance in order to prepare for its long-term use in the funding system.
• Content: Systematic feedback on user guidance, functionality, comprehensibility, and the concrete added value of the prototype from the perspective of the target groups.

In addition, practical ideas for the iterative, needs-oriented further development of the digital funding map will be collected.