The 49th Conference of the Sport Ministers of the Länder was held today in Saarbrücken. The day before the conference (17 April) the ministers took part in a trip to Paris organised by the host state Saarland. The programme included a visit to the German hospitality house. Furthermore, the German Olympic Sports Confederation presented its work in the run-up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, including preparations for the "fan mile".

Major sporting events in the heart of Europe

The year 2024 is an important year for European sports. UEFA EURO 2024 and the Olympic and Paralympic Games are just around the corner. At their conference, the sport ministers of the federal states discussed ways of making major sporting events more sustainable and the topic of compliance with human rights. Last March, in preparation for this European summer of sport, Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community and France’s Ministry for Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games signed a Joint Declaration on a new model for more sustainable, more responsible and more inclusive international sporting events.

Visit to the Franco-German border

In the spirit of Franco-German friendship, both countries are working together to ensure safety and security at these two major sporting events. Police officers from both countries will be policing UEFA EURO 2024 and the Olympic Games.

Against this background, Germany’s interior minister Nancy Faeser visited the Federal Police Station Saarbrücken-Goldene Bremm to learn more about border police cooperation with France. The Franco-German police station, located in Saarbrücken, serves as a contact and transfer office between the two countries.

Federal Minister Faeser said: "The security of the European Football Championship in Germany is our top priority. All security authorities are working with great professionalism to prepare for the event. The police will show a strong presence at all venues and wherever crowds of people gather. For this, I am very grateful to the state police forces and to our Federal Police."

Reform of funding for top-level sport

To ensure the continued success of German athletes in future, a draft bill on funding for high-performance sport was put forward for discussion by the relevant ministries on 1 March 2024. There was an in-depth discussion with the members of the Conference of the Sports Ministers on the new approach to funding for high-performance sport and on how a future sports agency would fit in with existing funding schemes.

Counselling service for victims of violence and abuse of power in sport

The Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community wants to enable athletes to achieve top performance in their chosen sports, but it also wants to help them to defend themselves against violence and abuse of power. The work of the Safe Sport association was appreciated by the Conference of the Sport Minsters of the Länder. It represents a first step towards establishing a centre for safe sports.