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On 17th March, 2026, this year’s 26 graduates of the supplementary certification programme in physical education were honored. Lena Brack (Institute of Sport Didactics and Physical Education) and Anke Raabe-Oetker ( Institute for Movement Therapy and Movement-oriented Prevention and Rehabilitation) presented the certificates in a formal ceremony. Elmar Kugel, department head at the Cologne District Government, also sent his congratulations. In sports enrichment classes, students are to be holistically supported in small groups and without the pressure of grades, through a variety of physical activity programmes that supplement mandatory physical education classes. This additional programme is thus a key component in fulfilling the dual mission of school physical education: fostering a culture of physical activity, play, and sports, as well as promoting development through physical activity, play, and sports. As part of the two-semester, additional qualification, the students were prepared to holistically support students with diverse emotional, social, and motor needs in heterogeneous learning groups. The focus was on the possibilities for differentiating and individualizing physical activity programmes. In addition, various diagnostic methods were taught to analyse students’ initial learning levels and plan support measures accordingly. A central component of the certification was the practical phase at cooperating inclusive schools. Here, students had the opportunity to independently plan, implement, and reflect on movement activities designed to support student development. Among other things, psychomotor approaches were tested in practice and applied in real classroom situations. Participants highlighted this close integration of theory and practice as particularly beneficial. The students’ feedback made it clear that the sports support classes were not perceived as a “remedial programme,” but rather as a positive and appreciative opportunity. “The children seemed grateful and viewed participation as a privilege,” says graduate Maximilian Krischer. Graduate Sarah Rabe reflects: “‘Good’ physical education for students with special needs means, above all, providing guidance, recognizing individual strengths, valuing small progress, and creating an atmosphere in which all children feel accepted.” The additional qualification is offered in cooperation with the district government and inclusive schools and will be available once per semester under the direction of Lena Brack, Anke Raabe-Oetker, and Andrea Kurth. For more information, visit the website for the additional qualification in sports enrichment classes .

The German Sport University Cologne and the team behind the “Balu und Du” mentoring program would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to “Hier mit Herz” at Sparkasse KölnBonn for a generous donation of just under €4,000.00. The donation supports the efforts of our students and young staff members who serve as mentors (“Balus”) to elementary school-aged children (“Moglis”). With this donation, even more children and mentors can be brought together. As mentors, Spoho students work in tandem with a elementary school child for one year, regularly organising the child’s free time with physical activity, play, and sports to tackle new challenges together and build mutual trust. In this way, the children experience a sense of self-efficacy, social support, autonomy, and self-confidence. The Balus, in turn, take on responsibility, reflect on their view of society, and have the opportunity to experience the world through a child’s eyes. Participation in the program is free and is specifically aimed at children who need additional support in their personal development and physical socialization. If you’d like to support the project, please feel free to learn more about donation options .

The Working Group for Sports Psychology (asp) and MentalGestärkt are planning their next joint theme day for 2027—this time on the topic of “Loneliness & Homesickness in Competitive Sports.” The event will once again be held at the German Sport University in Cologne. As with the last two theme days, participants will be offered a varied program consisting of lectures, workshops, and discussion panels led by qualified experts. Dr. Fabian Pels will provide a scientific perspective on the topic, while PD Dr. Janosch Schobin will offer a societal perspective. Athletes (TBA) will share insights from various sports in an interview session. In addition, insights and reflections from the fields of boarding school and NLZ administration, sports psychology, and child and adolescent psychiatry and psychotherapy—including contributions from Theresa Rohner of the NLZ in Dortmund and our steering committee member Dr. Katja Wucherer of the DGKJP—will enrich the program. The day will conclude with a moderated panel discussion featuring all speakers. Date : Friday, February 19, 2027, 10:00 a.m. – 5:15 p.m. Location : German Sport University Cologne, Am Sportpark Müngersdorf 6, 50933 Cologne Registration : by email to office@asp-sportpsychologie.org Participation fees : asp/dvs/bdp/SASP/ÖBS members: 119 €; students: 99 €; others: 139 € Target audience : Anyone interested in sports psychology, sports psychotherapy, sports psychiatry, and sports science, as well as coaches, boarding school staff, and master’s students

The iqpr — Institute for Quality Assurance in Prevention and Rehabilitation GmbH at the German Sport University Cologne — will collaborate with DAS REHAPORTAL on the scientific measurement of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). The first joint projects will begin in the summer of 2026 in the field of psychosomatic rehabilitation. The collaboration focuses on the systematic collection and analysis of patient-reported outcomes in the context of value-based healthcare. The goal is to make treatment outcomes more visible from the patients’ perspective and to make this data usable for quality improvement and clinical practice. “In addition to scientific analysis, we will also prepare the data for practical application so that it can be used, for example, in physician-patient consultations and as part of quality assurance,” explains Dr. Christian Hetzel, scientific head of the collaboration at the iqpr. “With iqpr, we have a scientifically experienced partner at our side. Together, we want to make the quality of outcomes in rehabilitation more visible from the patients’ perspective and thereby promote transparency and quality in care,” says Annabelle Neudam, Managing Director of DAS REHAPORTAL. The first joint study will begin in the summer of 2026 in the field of psychosomatic rehabilitation, focusing on depression and anxiety disorders. These are among the most common diagnoses in medical rehabilitation. The study will examine changes in health and quality of life over the course of rehabilitation based on patient-reported data. In the long term, the collaboration is to be expanded to include additional therapeutic areas. The goal is to permanently establish patient-reported outcomes as an integral part of transparent and patient-centered quality improvement in rehabilitation. For more information on the collaboration, please read the press release . The iqpr was founded in 2001 as an affiliated institute by the German Sport University Cologne, the Vocational Rehabilitation Centers in Cologne and Hamburg, and the Social Association Vdk Deutschland. The interdisciplinary team of researchers is committed to enabling and improving the long-term participation of people with and without disabilities in society and the workforce. Since 2023, the iqpr has also been supporting funding agencies, service providers, and foundations through targeted communication and public relations measures as part of research and pilot projects. Contact: iqpr Dr. Christian Hetzel Eupener Straße 70 50933 Cologne Tel.: +49 (0)02 – 21 27 75 99 0 Email: hetzel@iqpr.de

In four weeks, the German Sport University Cologne will become the hub of international sports science: The GSUN’26 Summit will take place on campus on 7th and 8th October, 2026. This will be the first time the annual meeting of the Global Sport University Network (GSUN) is hosted in Europe. Those who cannot attend both days now have the option to purchase single-day tickets. Under the theme “Leading Sport in a Global Society,” the summit will bring together researchers , representatives from sports organizations and federations, businesses, and media outlets from around the world. The focus will be on current issues surrounding the social significance of sport, global cooperation, sports policy and governance, and the transfer of research and teaching into practice. The program offers a wide range of keynotes, panels, and workshops on both days. Topics include the future of sports science, sports and climate protection, anti-doping, athletes’ rights, artificial intelligence and data analysis in sports, online hate, para sports, and the question of how scientific findings can have a societal impact. Numerous experts from the German Sport University Cologne are also contributing to the program. For example, President Professor Ansgar Thiel will open the academic portion of the summit with a keynote address on academic freedom and the challenges research faces today in balancing the pursuit of scientific knowledge with public and political pressure. A new feature this year is the option to attend the GSUN’26 Summit on a per-day basis. A one-day ticket for 7th October costs 300€, and for 8th October, 250€. Each ticket includes the full day’s program — featuring keynotes, panels, workshops, and networking opportunities — as well as meals. The GSUN Summit takes place annually at rotating locations and connects international universities and research institutions with stakeholders from sports, business, and society. In 2026, the German Sport University Cologne will be the first European university to host the summit. Further information on the program and registration is available on the GSUN’26 Summit website: Program and Registration

The Institute of Exercise Training and Sport Informatics at the German Sport University Cologne is represented by four research papers at the Machine Learning and Data Mining for Sports Analytics (MLSA) workshop. The workshop will take place as part of the European Conference on Machine Learning and Principles and Practice of Knowledge Discovery in Databases (ECML/PKDD 2026) from 7th to 11th September in Naples and is considered one of the most important international forums for applications of artificial intelligence and data science in sports. ECML/PKDD is considered Europe’s leading conference on machine learning and data mining and brings together researchers from around the world every year. Within the conference, the MLSA workshop has established itself as a central platform for sports science research questions related to machine learning and sports analytics. Particularly gratifying: Two of the four accepted papers were selected for an oral presentation — a special honor in the scientific peer-review process. Oral Presentation A Universal Dense Football Event Representation Based on TabTransformer (Yang et al.) Relaxing Elo Restrictions with Learnable Graph Protocols for Soccer Forecasting (Zhang et al.) Poster Presentations Post-Match Outcome Prediction in Soccer: Leveraging Shot-level xG and the Poisson-Binomial Distribution (Klemp et al.) Expected Impact on Match Outcome: A Multi-Level Probabilistic Framework for Context-Sensitive Soccer Action Evaluation (Paul et al.) “I am very pleased that, with this number of papers, we can contribute to raising the profile of Cologne’s sports informatics within the international data science community focused on sports,” says Univ.-Prof. Dr. Daniel Memmert, head of institute. With these four accepted papers, the institute underscores its research expertise at the intersection of sports science, artificial intelligence, and data analysis. More information about the program is available on the conference website . To the department’s website

On 30th January, 2026, student teachers from the German Sport University Cologne organized a sports festival for about 60 seventh-grade students from the Heliosschule Cologne. From 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., the classes moved through various activity stations in the gym of the Hockey-Judo Center Cologne, which had been developed beforehand by the students. This was the first time the sports festival was held in a gym. The layout of the space provided ideal conditions for multiple stations to take place simultaneously. This allowed the students to try out different athletic challenges while also working together to complete cooperative tasks. The sports festival is part of the bachelor’s seminar “Special Topics in Subject Didactics” in the teacher education program, led by Katrin Strub. In the seminar, the students independently planned differentiated physical activity programs and explored issues related to instruction, individualization, and inclusive design. The goal was to combine subject-specific content with a motivating and fun physical activity experience. During the event, the students took charge of organizing, instructing, and adapting the activities. The project gave them the opportunity to apply and reflect on key course content in real-world school settings. For the students, this resulted in a structured physical education program outside of regular class time that combined physical activity, collaboration, and positive experiences with physical activity.

Every year, just before Christmas, the Aquatics Centre at the German Sport University Cologne is transformed into a special place of volunteerism and community. Once again, starting at 3:00 a.m., numerous students and supporters took part in the 12th “Christmas Sunrise Swim”, the traditional charity swim organised by the Spoho project Campus Noster — in support of the WDR2-Weihnachtswunder. The atmosphere in the early morning hours was particularly exciting: In the still-dark swimming hall, lit only by the pool and underwater lights, there was a calm, focused, and at the same time highly motivating atmosphere. Despite the early hour, the participants’ dedication was clearly palpable: They swam with intense focus, mutual consideration, and shared motivation. The unique play of light and the focused calm gave the Christmas Sunrise Swim an almost meditative quality and made the nighttime charity swim an impressive experience. The focus of the event on 17 December 2025 was once again the group charity swim, in which participants swam as many laps as possible for a good cause. After an impressive total distance had already been swum in 2024, the ambitious goal for 2025 was to reach the 1,000-kilometer mark. Some participants set themselves the goal of swimming 100x100 meters. Between 4:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m., the lanes of the pool filled up steadily. Swimmers swam on their own in lanes designated for different swimming speeds. The number of laps swum was, at best, honestly counted and documented on personal CSS donation cards. These cards subsequently served as proof of participation for the donors. The event culminated in an entry on the traditional “Wave of Fame”, where many participants immortalised their achievement with their signature and the number of laps swum. In addition to the swim, the Christmas Sunrise Swim once again offered a varied supporting program in 2025. Among other things, participants could look forward to a Christmas sauna, “Good Morning” yoga, gymnastics and diving, as well as synchronised swimming. The athletic programme ended at sunrise and transitioned seamlessly into a communal Christmas breakfast, accompanied by the singing of the Spoho choir Sportissimo. The funds raised during the charity swim will benefit the WDR project “WDR 2 Weihnachtswunder” this year. A camera crew from WDR’s “Lokalzeit” programme covered the event from early on, capturing plenty of video footage and conducting interviews with individual participants. Organiser and lecturer Dr. Helge Knigge also spoke about the event’s origins and the collaboration with WDR 2’s “Weihnachtswunder”: “Don’t think of yourself, but rather what you can do for others.” (Click here for the full WDR “Lokalzeit” segment) Although the dedicated swimmers ultimately fell just short of the 1,000-kilometer mark — they covered 963 kilometers in the end — they raised nearly 8,000 euros for “Weihnachtswunder”. “Every euro counts! Especially because the active night swimmers — who were mainly our wonderful students — gave it their all despite the field being decimated by illness. Really, everything. Thank you very much!” says Dr. Helge Knigge, summing up the event positively. The funds will support both local food banks and initiatives to combat global hunger. The CSS placed a special emphasis on actively involving the donors, as participants were encouraged to independently and reliably complete their fundraising campaigns. Thus, the Christmas Sunrise Swim 2025 demonstrated once again how closely athletic dedication and social commitment are intertwined at the German Sport University Cologne. For those interested, here are the WDR’s editorial reflections on the event: Segment No. 1: WDR 2 at the start of the event at 3:10 a.m. and Broadcast No. 2: WDR 2 during the closing concert at 8:40 a.m. (scroll to 02:43:30 here) WDR event report on “Lokalzeit .”

Prof. Dr. Markus Raab, head of the Department of Performance Psychology, has signed a new three-year contract (2026–2028) as editor-in-chief of the Elsevier journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise . He will continue to share the editorship with Co-Editor Prof. Amanda Rebar (USA). Psychology of Sport and Exercise is one of the world’s leading journals in sports psychology and applied psychology. The journal is ranked in the Q1 category in both disciplines and is the empirically strongest journal in the field as measured by its impact factor. PSE receives approximately 2,000 manuscript submissions annually, of which about 200 are published. In 2025, the journal celebrated its 25th anniversary. To mark this occasion, a special issue was recently published that highlights key developments, current challenges, and future perspectives in sports and exercise psychology research. The special issue is available online .

The three-year EU project “Zero Emission Rides Objectives” (ZERO) has been successfully completed. Eleven European partners, including the German Sport University Cologne, are working together to promote greater climate sustainability and awareness in winter sports. Research conducted by the German Sport University Cologne confirms the urgency of the issue: even with global warming of just +2°C, 53% of European ski resorts are at risk. Snowboarding itself contributes significantly to the carbon footprint through equipment, infrastructure, and transportation. The ZERO project identified the central challenge: Among young winter sports enthusiasts (ages 14 to 25), there is a significant gap between attitude and behaviour. Although 73.8% consider themselves climate-conscious, only 33.8% meet the criteria for objectively environmentally conscious behaviour. To bridge this gap in a playful way, the ZERO project developed an innovative online learning tool that culminates in a card game. Under the motto “Our game is not about winning, it is about NOT LOSING — just like the fight against climate change!”, knowledge about climate change is directly integrated into snowboard culture. The game, which was successfully tested by the partner organisations, generated great enthusiasm at the project’s closing conference in Bern. The conference also delivered a clear message: Action is needed now. In addition to presenting the project results, international experts in Bern discussed the future of winter sports. In his keynote address, snowboarder and activist Elias Elbhardt appealed to everyone: “Let’s keep it real!” A call to move beyond superficial discussions toward authentic, active engagement. Other presentations underscored the need to involve young people in decisions regarding climate activism and to respect nature if we want to continue to depend on it in the long term. Project contacts: Subproject Lead Dr. Niels Kaffenberger German Sport University Cologne Institute for Outdoor Sports and Environmental Sience Phone: +49 221 4982-4240 Email: natursport@dshs-koeln.de Website Overall Project Lead Ivana Pranjić World Snowboard Federation Phone: +43 699 181 27 326 Email: ivana@worldsnowboardfederation.org Website Eleven European partners are involved in the ZERO project, including the German Sport University Cologne, the World Snowboard Federation (WSF), Swiss Ski, and the NGO “Protect Our Winters” (POW) of the World Snowboard Federation (WSF); the project is funded by Erasmus+.