{"id":279886,"date":"2017-10-07T17:28:47","date_gmt":"2017-10-08T00:28:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=279886"},"modified":"2017-10-07T17:28:47","modified_gmt":"2017-10-08T00:28:47","slug":"momentum-spreads-as-more-athletes-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/momentum-spreads-as-more-athletes-s\/","title":{"rendered":"Momentum Spreads As More Athletes Set Up Their Own Organizations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Momentum continues to spread as more athletes seek to set up their own organizations. The latest revolution is taking place within the German sports community as athletes attempt to set up their own group separate from the German Olympic Sports Confederation. The current proposed name is “Athleten Deutschland.”<\/p>\n

Maximilian Hartung<\/strong>, a sabre fencer, explained in an interview with\u00a0Sportschau\u00a0<\/em>that,<\/p>\n

“We believe that athletes need their own voice, and that a separate organization will allow us to independently present athletes’ views. We want to have our say as partners on equal terms. Up to now that has not been the case.”<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Silke Kassner<\/strong>, a canoe athlete, added,<\/p>\n

“Athletes wanted to have their say, and the time really is ripe now even for confederations to accept athletes as negotiating partners on equal terms, and not just as token parts of a statue.”<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Currently, German athletes are represented by the Athletes’ Committee, which is located within the confederation. The aim of “Athleten Deutschland” will be to “establish a network of athletes’ representatives of leading Olympic, non-Olympic and Paralympic sports.” Additional aims of the association include:<\/p>\n