Münster celebrates the sports badge heroes: records and declines at a glance!

Münster celebrates the sports badge heroes: records and declines at a glance!

On the last day of June 2025, the sports badge will be celebrated in North Rhine-Westphalia. This tradition attracts sports enthusiasts from all over the region. This year's honorary event for the German Sports Badge took place in Münster on June 27, 2024 and was hosted by Dr. Eva Selic, the Vice President for Popular Sports of the State Sports Association, and Henning Schreiber from the State Chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia. The event noted a slight decline in this prestigious award: a total of 147,606 sports badges were awarded in 2024, compared to 151,507 last year. One reason for this development could be the introduction of the new “Sports Badge Digital” platform, which enables applicants to manage digitally.

However, the demand for the sports badge has by no means decreased, as shown by the number of participants at the season opening on May 7, 2025 in the Sentruper Höhe sports park. There, Mayor Klaus Rosenau and the chairman of the SSB, Jörg Verhoeven, welcomed numerous interested parties who wanted to start training and exercises. The season period extends from January 1st to December 31st, with official activities in Münster starting in the first week of May and ending with summer.

High-performing actors and their successes

Particularly outstanding achievements were recognized at the event. The SSB Hamm took first place in the ranking of the city sports associations, followed by Münster, Krefeld, Bochum and Mülheim. When it comes to district sports associations, no other city could stop KSB Borken, which is undisputed in first place; Coesfeld, Gütersloh, Höxter and Lippe followed. In addition, 18 people can look forward to a very special honor: They have earned the sports badge for the 60th time, while four athletes were able to receive their 70th badge: Horst Altenhoff, Karl-Heinz Dreger, Horst-Wilfried Grebert and Udo Hergesell.

Another pleasing aspect is the large number of athletes who strive for the badge – and thus a personal achievement. Last year there were a total of 3,052 payers who earned the sports badge at least ten times. Such successes are not only a personal challenge, but also strengthen community cohesion.

Digital innovation and inclusion

The digital revolution is also finding its way into sports badges. With the introduction of “Sports Badge Digital”, requirements and achievements can be conveniently managed online. Those interested can find further information about registration at sportabzeichen-digital.de. People with disabilities are also invited to take part in the campaign. In Münster, the on-site teams are trained to meet the special requirements of this group.

In order to receive the sports badge, an application for a test pass is required. For this purpose, a corresponding application form must be filled out. Anyone who would like to qualify for testing should take into account the sport-specific focuses that are available online on the LSB NRW platform. These include modules for athletics, swimming, gymnastics and cycling. Interested examiners are well advised to familiarize themselves with the examination documents in advance and complete the necessary online modules.

Overall, the German sports badge remains a popular and important part of North Rhine-Westphalia's sports culture. It offers the opportunity to set personal goals and test one's fitness while continuing to strengthen the community around this competition through the shared pursuit of achievement.