Germany-China – Sharing Experience

Against the backdrop of the bilateral agreement on cooperation in sports between the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) of the Federal Republic of Germany and the General Administration of Sports of the People’s Republic of China (GASC), BMI and GASC have jointly organised symposia in 2009 (China), 2010 (Germany) and 2011 (China).

The continuation of this cooperation serves not only as an intensive collaboration in the area of sport, but as a basis for sustainable German-Chinese relations as a whole.

The three-day event is scheduled for 23 to 27 March 2014 in Berchtesgaden, one of the main regions in Germany for Winter Sport. The German delegation will be lead by Parliamentarian  State Secretary of the BMI, Dr. Ole Schröder. Head of the Chinese delegation will be Vice Minister of GASC, Mr. XIAO Tian, who is also Vice President of the Chinese Olympic Committee. Mr. Alfons Hörmann, President of the German Olympic Sports Confederation, will be one of the honorary guests and one of the expert speakers.

Through the symposium the organisers would like to expand the exchange of knowledge and experience between ministries and experts of both countries, to benefit from research and practical experience of the partner country.

The Bilateral Symposium on Winter Sport will include the following topics:

• Main Features and Development of Winter Sport - Elite Sport and its Social Benefits

• Nordic Skiing - A Sport for All?

• The Risk of Physical and Psychological Stress Injuries in Winter Sports

• Development of Alpine Skiing in China and Germany

• Construction of Winter Sports Facilities - Challenges for Inclusive Design , Accessibility and Utilization

• Speed Skating - Training Means and Methods

Apart from the discussion around these topics, the symposium is meant to explore the potential for future joint-activities in different areas of sport, sport politics and sport science.

In addition to the theoretical discussion, visits of winter sports facilities in Berchtesgaden, Inzell and Ruhpolding are planned. These visits will allow the participants to gain insights in the construction of sports facilities in Germany and to compare these against their background of experiences and scientific investigations.

The scientific contributions of the symposium will be published in workshop proceedings which will be accessible on the ICSSPE website presumably by the end of 2014.