German Bundestag agrees funding model to boost Olympic medal chances

Lawmakers are debating in the Bundestag during the last session before the summer recess, with the vote on the black-red coalition's healthcare austerity package, among other items, on the agenda. Michael Kappeler/dpa

A new system of elite sport funding in Germany has moved closer after the Bundestag approved a bill by 561 votes to 43 on Friday.

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The bill is intended to make German athletes internationally competitive again after years of mixed results at Olympics and other events. The Bundesrat upper house will hold final deliberations in the coming months before the law can come into force.

The core of the reforms is the establishment of an independent elite sport agency based in Leipzig. The agency is set to start work in 2027 and independently distribute tax money to athletes and sports associations, cutting current bureaucracy.

"The law provides a good basis from which we can build success," German Olympic Sports Confederation president Thomas Weikert said in a statement.

"We want to take Germany back to the world elite of sport. We want to shape a system that produces sustainably top performance."

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