The strongest member organizations of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) failed to reach a consensus on a candidate proposal for the upcoming presidential elections during weekend talks in Oberhaching, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported.
Oberhaching Talks Stall Over Presidential Succession Plan
Meeting on Friday and Saturday, officials from across German sports could not agree on the search committee’s roadmap to succeed outgoing president Thomas Weikert at the elective assembly scheduled for early December in Frankfurt. Internal resistance has surfaced among roughly a dozen elite sports associations regarding the proposed leadership slate.
The search committee—established as an initiative of elite federations back in late March—had nominated International Olympic Committee member Michael Mronz as its primary candidate after holding five formal meetings. Mronz, 59, has not yet publicly addressed his interest in taking the top post at the DOSB.
Elite Federations Criticize Search Committee Maneuvering
During a scheduled session in Oberhaching on Friday, Mronz presented himself and his proposed program to representatives of the state sports federations. An eyewitness described his address as a solid presentation. Observers noted that irritation at the gathering stemmed not from the search committee’s candidate selection itself, but rather from the behind-the-scenes maneuvering of the elite federations, which one participant characterized as unprofessionally handled.
Jörg Flechtner, president of the German Ski Association (DSV), spoke on behalf of the majority of winter sports disciplines to demand a direct seat within the incoming presidential board. The search committee’s report outlines three fresh faces slated for the executive team: Fritz Joussen, envisioned as an external figure from outside organized sports drawing on executive experience at TUI and Vodafone; 39-year-old weightlifting federation president Florian Sperl, slated to serve as a younger voice bridging communication with various associations; and Silke Renk-Lange, president of the State Sports Federation of Saxony-Anhalt. Renk-Lange, who captured an Olympic gold medal in the javelin throw in 1992, secured the backing of the state sports bodies during the Oberhaching meetings.
Mronz Board Must Secure Political and Business Backing
According to the search committee’s dossier, the core mission for the incoming leadership team centers on securing backing from politics, business, and wider societal groups, safeguarding the autonomy of sports, and strengthening international networking capabilities. The board under Mronz would also be tasked with unifying organized sports while preserving its diversity, advancing the DOSB as a functional service provider for member federations, and actively managing complex legislative frameworks including the Sports Promotion Act, the planned sports agency, elite sport reforms, and broader athletic development. Officials noted that a potential bid for the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games centered in Munich could act as a vital engine for grassroots and elite sport development alike.
The exact scope of the pushback against the committee’s slate remains fluid, though a broader leadership power struggle is clearly taking shape. While search committee representatives maintained that the transition process is moving forward smoothly, an internal challenger has emerged. Professor Martin Engelhardt, DOSB vice president, president of the Triathlon Union, and a practicing chief surgeon, has declared his intention to run for the presidency, prompting one elite federation president to remark that the electoral campaign has officially begun.
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