Erfurt Speed Skaters Sign Agreement Amidst Training Center Dispute

After considerable controversy, elite speed skaters based in Erfurt have signed the athlete agreement required by the German Ice Skating Union (DESG). The agreement is part of a new structural concept that has caused significant friction within the sport.

The athletes, who are part of the federal training center in Erfurt, submitted the signed agreement by the Friday deadline. However, they appended a "Side Letter" outlining their "notes, expectations, and demands." DESG President Matthias Große stated that the union would carefully review this additional document and address the concerns raised within it promptly.

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We will carefully review the Side Letter they have additionally sent and will promptly address the concerns and demands formulated within it.

The controversy stems from a DESG plan to concentrate top-tier athletes in Inzell for multi-distance and long-distance events, and Berlin for sprints, starting in July. This shift would relegate the federal training centers in Erfurt and Chemnitz to a more prominent role primarily in youth development, a move seen by many as a demotion. Erfurt, in particular, has been a strong talent pool, producing numerous athletes for the Milan Winter Olympics, including rising star Finn Sonnekalb.

Further complicating matters was a letter sent by the DESG leadership to employers of the athletes, including the military and police forces. This letter requested written confirmation that these employers would instruct their sponsored athletes to adhere to the new training structure and relocate to the designated federal training centers. The letter also referenced a main sponsor based in Bavaria with a vested interest in strengthening the Inzell location, raising questions about the objectivity of the DESG's decisions. The Thuringian state association expressed irritation, questioning whether purely objective, sport-specific reasons drove the DESG's structural reform.

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Whether purely objective and sport-specific reasons led to the structural decision of the DESG presidium.