The human power of Sport for All; Berman Turnfest Leipzig 2002

I. The faces of sport today

Sports has lost its innocence as the most important "minor matter" in the world. Modern sports of today have many faces. I'm sure you will remember faces with a beaming of a smile when an Olympic winner is getting his medal at the victory ceremony, millions of people are admiring his performance. But on the other hand you'll find thousands of former top athletes getting desolate in sadness and loneliness after getting over the cenit of their career.

Over all the year you can read in the newspapers a lot of stories about the faces of sport:

Last August a story titled "Mafia on Ice" went around the world. It was the story about Mr. Alimsan Tochtachunow, a well known Russian Mafia-boss, who influenced deeply the decision on the ice-skating-medals in Ice-Dance and "pair scating" to the benefits of the Russian participants by corruption of French officials and judges.

Another story you can read is that a young football star will have an income money times more than the president of your country.

Corruption scandals and self-service-mentality by the "sirs of the rings" become obvious when the decision on the Olympic Games is forthcoming.

Your are all aware on the discussion on the election of the presedency of FIFA, mainly based on financial aspects. The epidemic of doping is obvious under the social pressure of high performance acknowledgement in the society.

Only some examples on the current bad faces of sports which are partly also topic of this conference. But on the other hand we should mention also good faces of sport!

The NOC-President of Kenya, the well known top athlete Kipchoge Keno, founded a school for 300 pupils to educate them in a special spirit of sport; and Sergej Bubka, very famous in high-jump, has founded a club with more than 300 children to provide a special promotion on educational aims in sport!

And not to forget what happens daily on the grass-routes of sport within the clubs where millions of volunteers are engaged for a better quality of life through sports either for children, for elderly people and other target groups.

Sport is no longer mainly physical exercise, experience, social get together or health promoting activity. Sport has become also lifestyle, ritual, entertainment, market and business. 1.5 billion SFR have being paid for television rights on the last world championships in soccer.

Sport has become a social phenomenon between culture, worship and commercial interests, as Markus Lamprecht and Hanspeter Stamm titled their newly edited book, which analysis the situation in modern sports critically.

The differentiation in the "World of Sport" into different "Worlds", each with their own values, aims and contents, is the most significant characteristic of sport development during the last 40 years.

And if we are going to look for the human power of sport, it will be much more difficult to discover it in the world of elite sport than in the world of SPORT for all!

II. The human values of sport

I've been asked to talk about the human values of sport. Journalist often think that "only bad news are good news"! So I'm afraid if you'll be very interested in my story, when I try to show and explain to you examples of the good faces of sport, based on the analysis of the biggest SPORT for all-event all over the world, the German Turnfest with 100.000 participants, active every day through one week.

Before I start to characterise this event, let me remind you on some human values of sport. I'm sure you've read often about these values and hopefully you also wrote about the benefits of sport in articles or talked about it in lessons and discussions. They've been pointed out so often on different occasions by scientists, politicians or sport leaders that they seem to be worn out. Even it is so, it seems necessary to be aware of those potentials, values and benefits before we come to the question how they can be achieved.

Let me make it quite clear at that point! I start to talk about possibilities, about potentials, about what sport can achieve. Not about the reality. The values of sport! You've to work for it, you\ve to create special scenery, a special quality of environment. A new research in Germany from Brettschneider/Kleine pointed out quite clear the gap between the expectations and the reality! In their empirical research they found out that adults engaged in sport clubs have no advantage to adults not being a member in a sport club concerning either their motoric skills or psycho-social behaviour. Even more in some cases club sport seem to provoke negative effects (concerning abuse of alcohol and drugs in young football and handball teams).

What are the expectations? Let me use voices of different important sport political issues!

(A) First a quote from the "Declaration of European Council and European Commission on the European Year 2004 on education through sport":

To consider the use of the values conveyed through sport to develop the so-called basic educational skills whereby young people in particular can develop their physical prowess and also social competencies such as working as part of a team, solidarity, tolerance and fair play;

To use the positive contribution of voluntary activity to parallel education, particularly that of young people, and to the development of the sporting movement;

To encourage reflection and discussion on what needs to be done to promote the social integration of the disadvantaged groups through sport in education;

(B) In a report on the world-forum "Education through sport" arranged last August for 350 participants by the IOC Commission "Culture  and Education" in Wiesbaden (Germany) we can read:

"willingness for performance", "tolerance", "integration", "ability to act in a team", "social competence" and "fairness" are key-words of the modern civil society and the Olympic Solidarity.

(C) And quoting from a resolution, passed by 7th International Sport for all organisations last May in Copenhagen, we found the following:

"Sport for all" rests on fundamentally social, educational and cultural values and it is a main factor in improving active citizenship, social and physical health and recreation, tolerance, integration as well as understanding.

In the forever changing and rapidly developing societies, the natural diversity inherent in "Sport for all" can be regarded as an important instrument in securing the continuous development of active democratic citizenship, public health, joy, quality of life and understanding.

"Sport for all" promoted and supported in its various manifestations of activities and ways of organising, accessible to all human beings - can be a valuable instrument in furthering tolerance and a peaceful societal development, co-existence and co-operation at a national as well as an international level.

III. How SPORT for all come into the existence as a second world of sport?

A second world of sport has come into existence during the last 30 to 35 years, starting in national sport for all compaign and becoming more and more powerful also in the international field. At the moment we have up to 6/8 bigger international sport for all organisations. Why?

Because traditional sports could no longer fulfil the rapid changing needs towards physical activity of big parts of the population.

In times of change when leisure time wins in importance against the working world with its values such as productivity, quality, growth, competition, absolute performance in times when new value systems of a leisure society with such virtues as harmony, self-realisation, social contact, health and individuality take priority in times when people want to live a self-determined life and want to work less alienated in such times of social change, sports is faced with modified needs, too.

• The opportunity to achieve individual experiences with the body and with physical activity (in open, self-designed and planful acting situations).

• The enjoyment of experience-oriented types of physical activity and playful elements of suspense.

• The opportunity to communicate and be able to withdraw into private spheres again without experiencing any pressure for permanent commitment.

• The fun of doing physical activity because of a feeling of wellness and for the mere enjoyment of it.

Those are the current leading motives for being physically active.

During the last few years they have resulted in a vast variety of leisure-time sports activities. Traditional sports disciplines have become less rigid in rules, have more open structure, can be applied without long phases of learning and training. Thus disciplines such as leisure-time volleyball, family tennis, badminton, jogging and free, playful types of apparatus gymnastics have arisen. And continuously new leisure-time sports spring up. The range extends from Aerobics to Stretching, Callanetics, Thai Chi, Wu Shu, Yoga, Afro Dance, Bellydance, Dancing Theatre, Snow Boarding, Roller Blading and Rope Skipping.

I'd like to present an overview over these disciplines differentiated according to the following sports-scenes:

1. Fitness and Wellness scene
   
   
2. Health sports scene
   
   
3. Sport for fun and wilderness scene
   
   
4. Rhythmic and artistic sports scene
   
   
5. Sports scene aiming a sociality
   
   
6. The scene of classical sports disciplines

The process of diversification of needs in our society and of sport offers is the fertile soil for the foundation of national and international SPORT for all organisations.

The new need and challenge had not been accepted by the traditional sport organisations in a good and active way. The had been too lazy to put up new developments. They have still focus on their traditional competitive activities either on the national or the international field. Based on this disappointed new organisation formed their philosophy.

Let me quote the voice of Anders Blow, the ISCA president:

"Sport is not made up of one culture or one movement only; it comprises many different cultures and movements. ISCA was created as a supplement to the established sports world, dominated by the international regulations in the IOC and the different sports federations. And ISCA sees sport as more than competitions or health exercises. Sport is also recreation, pastime, games and leisure activities, and sport is a perfect instrument of promoting civil behaviour and a feeling of belonging to a society.

ISCA sees sports and culture activities as two equal parts of life style it is something which means something to ordinary people and that is the reason why it is a perfect instrument of creating meetings between people; meetings where you come closer to other people and their cultures and in this way it is difficult not to open your eyes to the qualities of other peoples' cultures after you have sweated, laughed and had fun together on the sports field.

ISCA wants more than just producing winners and losers. ISCA wants to focus on the process rather than on the results in the sports match. We want to create sports events where all people have a good time together whether they loose or win. The main factor is participation. Participation at a local or international level where people share some good experiences together and meet other people through sport. This is how ISCA focuses on the people and activities that are less prominent in the eyes and actions of the established sports world.

Sport as practised around the world is closely related to national, regional, and local cultures and again related to popular cultural activities. Therefore, it is important to maintain diversity in sports structures also at an international level. Take a look around the world and see how (ordinary people) children, youngsters, grown-ups and elderly people are involved in local activities within sports and cultural activities. You will find a great diversity of activities, games, cultural expressions and diversity in the way sport is organised. Diversity in sport is a necessity; it is here that we find the ways forward with a view to the interest of ordinary people who want to be active human beings.

The challenge of play and games is global!"

IV. The "German Gymnastic Festival" as an example, how the human power of SPORT for all comes into existence

A well known German Sport Journalist (Herbert Neumann, FAZ) once said: "It's impossible to describe, what a German Gymnastic Festival (DTF) really is. You've to be in it!" Although I've been involved in the organisation of a G DTV since 20 years it will be difficult for me to give you an impression of this very traditional and at the same time quite modern phenomenon, which exists since more than 140 years and which attracts every four years around 100.000 people.

(Abb. DTF, Bd. 1, S. 4/5 mit bersicht aller DTV!)

DTF are telling other stories about sport than normal big sport events. DTF are deeply rooted in the political and social situation in Germany in the second half of the 19th century. Like the gunmen's festival also DTF are justified to some extend on political and social values and aims, and not only on physical exercises.

So the German Gymnastic Association (DTB) when it was founded in 1848 (in the year of the German Revolution) was more than an association for physical-exercises or sports. If became an important social and cultural movement and their festivals, beginning 1860, were much more than simple sport events. Based on this history and tradition even modern DTF are different and much more than big sport events. The fascination of the DTF results in a symbiosis of five elements:

1. a sport event with Olympic dimensions (but very different)
   
   
2. a culture event
   
   
3. an education event
   
   
4. entertainment
   
   
5. deep emotional social experience

Some flashes to explain it a little bit more:

1. DTF as a sport event:

Most of the 100.000 participants were active involved in one or more competitions/contests

• 28 different sports had been included in the program

• Side by side elite-sport championships (apparatus gymnastic, rhythmic gymnastic, aerobic, trampoline ....) and competitions or tournaments on lower level took place (2700 people participated in the beach-volleyball-tournament; 30.000 in multiple-choice-competition, in which a competitor can choose four exercises out of a wide offer from 16 disciplines in track and field, apparatus gymnastic, rhythmic gymnastic and swimming). Also simple joyful exercises had been offered in the program, which could be practised without special requirements (70.000 people accepted this offer).

• Group performances without any judgement just as a small show play a big role in the program.

The sport-program at a DTF is really a SPORT for all-offer!

2. DTF as a cultural event

• Music performances, chorus singing theatre performances

• Art exhibitions and exhibitions on the history and tradition of gymnastics

• Organised walking through the countryside visiting important cultural monuments (12.000 participants!)

• Solemnities and celebrations at the beginning and at the end of the festival

• The parade with 40.000 to 50.000 gymnasts carrying thousands of traditional flags through the hosting city

All this forms a dignified cultural frame for the festival.

3. DTF as an education event

• A special Festival-Academy attracted 6.500 club-instructors within 400 workshops; 130 top lecturers offered a broad scale of modern topics in theory and practice as continuing education for club instructors and teachers

• 140.000 visitors attended the trend-fair, to get informed on new developments and apparatus useful for practical work at home in the sport clubs

4. DTF as entertainment

• On five stages in the city centre and three stages inside the new fair of Leipzig a non stop program from the morning until the evening was performed by hundreds of gymnastic groups and enjoyed by thousands of spectators all the five days

• The big evening shows, mostly a mixture of professional and voluntary performances, attracted 250.000 spectators

5. DTF as a sociable and social event

• You can imagine a little bit of the sociable atmosphere if you stay together with some of the 50.000 participants living for one week in school classrooms, sleeping on a mattress in a sleeping bag

• Or watching small groups in the same training suit sitting together in an open air restaurant, eating, drinking and singing

• Or make a trip in one of the overload trams and busses to the event facilities looking into the friendly faces of the gymnasts carrying the medal proudly around his neck, which he got for participating in a competition, not for being the winner

• Visit the social festivals, each of the 20 country federations of the German Gymnastic Federation offers on one evening in the festival week; thousands of gymnasts of this relevant region come to this social get-together watching regional folklore dancing, singing songs, drinking wine or beer

• Or have a look at the International Youth Camp with young people from 36 countries all over the world expressing human understanding, solidarity, understanding of different cultures and societies by living and acting close together

• And not only the social atmosphere during the festival itself is unique.

The total organisation and execution of the festival is achieved by the social engagement of thousands of volunteers. 30 - 35 employed people in the OC and more than 4.000 volunteers in hundreds of working groups make the festival running. And also 4.000 gymnasts exercised long time before the festival at home in the clubs, to conjure at the final Stadium Gala wonderful pictures to the lawn

Let me finish my unsuitable attempt to characterise a DTF by quoting the voice of an Italian observer and journalist visiting the last DTF in Leipzig:

"Socialising, culture and education form a triad of values that characterise every event at Turnfest. These are never stifled by the prestige of the event, as unfortunately happens in so many large-scale public events, which lose sight of their main references values.

At Turnfest, the quality of sporting commitment is mostly represented by the spirit of participation, which, exceeding the values of tradition and folklore, turns into a communal spirit, a collective sense and a choral soul.

Turnfest is a kind of symbiosis within which the various components of gymnastic activities coagulate to offer a spectacle that is open to any facet of the broad spectrum of motor culture.

From the most elementary of events to the most spectacular, from the most basic and natural activities to the most selective and sophisticated.

The entire scenario of human life is considered, a development from childhood to old age, and is expressed with styles, trends and interpretations that fuse to provide the most incredible spectacle.

Each square or market was occupied by the event; as though the entire city were a huge factory of the most varied kinds of cultural activity: sports fixtures, concerts and social activities were the themes dealt with in every way and in every nook and cranny."

The ongoing tradition and success of the DTF's is founded in the co-incidence of many-sided either individual or social interests.

Individual interest:

• social experience

• joy of movement, physical fitness, health

• education

• entertainment

Federation interests:

• service for the member clubs

• identification

• public relation

Social interests:

• economy (participants spend nearly 1/2 mill. Euro during the festival week)

• politicians (highest representatives of the government attended the festival)

• media (ca. 700 journalists got an accreditation).

If the human power of "sport for all" will be expressed by

Sport for allElite Sport
participation, inclusion, activities on grass root level, voluntarism, diversity, human understanding, solidarity, tolerance, contribution to public health selection, exclusion, elite, professionalism, specialisation, individualisation, isolation, egotism, health risks

... then a DTF really brings the human power of SPORT for all into existence!

V. How journalists perceive the DTF?

• 580 accredited journalist from 250 daily newspapers weekly magazines

• 114 TV-journalists

• 72 radio-journalists

• 890 daily reports with 6.300 articles

• 13 hours TV-reporting (100 reports; on an average of 10 % turn on quote)

These figures may show you the popularity and the acceptance of the DTF either for local or for national media transmission. Also that we succeeded to get a public TV-company as one of our main sponsors.

But not the quantity of reporting is remarkable, rather than the quality, the kind of reporting. This is quite different from reports on normal sport events. The material for stories about DTF is not results or records from competitions and tournaments or intimate, privat stories about champions and heroes.

Stories about DTF in newspapers are stories about

... the spirit and atmosphere of the festival

• BILD-Zeitung (May 25th 2002), "Die Leipziger sind die nettesten Gastgeber der Welt!" (Citizens of Leipzig are the most nice hosts of the world)

• Leipziger Volkszeitung (May 21st 2002), "Ein Marathon der guten Laune" (a marathon of good mood)

• Rhein-Zeitung (May 22nd 2002), "Spa, Party und Action for Teens und Twens" (fun, party and action for teens and tweens)

... about human beings

• Sonntag Aktuell (May 26th 2002), "Hausmeister sind die Stars"( Caretakers of school-houses are the stars)

• Neues Deutschland (May 21st 2002), "Sport, Spiel und Spannung mit 101 Jahren und mit 11 Monaten" (sport, play and tension in the age of 101 years and 11 months)

• Leipziger Volkszeitung (May 22nd 2002), "Prominente Sportler werben als Botschafter (prominent athletes advertise as ambassadors)

... about the unusual, peculiar festival program

• Leipziger Volkszeitung (May 27th 2002), "Sinfonie aus Feuer, Emotionen, und olympischem Traum" (symphony of fire, emotions, and an Olympic dream)

• Westflischer Anzeiger (May 24th 2002), "Spasuche mit Schlauchboot und Cityroller" (looking for fun with rubber dinghy and Cityroller)

• Westflischer Anzeiger (May 22nd 2002), "Kultur pur als echte Alternative" (culture pure as a genuine alternative)

... about gigantic numbers and figures

• Straubinger Tagblatt (May 21st 2002), "IOC-Vize Bach: Fast olympische Ausmae" (IOC-vice-president Bach: Nearly Olympic dimensions)

• BILD-Zeitung (May 24th 2002), "Gäste lassen 40 Millionen Euro in Leipzig. Das kleine Wirt-schaftswunder beim groen Turnfest" (guests spend 40 millions of Euro in Leipzig. The little economic miracle at the big gym-festival)

• Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (May 25th 2002), "Fest der groen Zahlen: Bis der Computer streikt" (Festival of big numbers: until computer begins to strike)

At breakfast the organisers had to distribute to school accommodation for 50.000 people:

• 140.000 litres of milk; 
  
  
• 525.000 tumbler yoghurt; 
  
  
• 350.000 apples;
  
  
• 8,6 tons of butter; 
  
  
• 20,5 tons of sausage; 
  
  
• 1.050.000 rolls,
  
  
• 13,5 tons of Cornflakes

Festival journalism is quite different from journalism at normal big sport events.