Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) - After the Corona break last year, the German Sports Aid Foundation invites you to the "Ball des Sports" again this Saturday. The 51st edition of the charity event, which was originally planned for early February, is the 26th and last for the time being in Wiesbaden. In 2023 the ball will return to Frankfurt. "We are very pleased that we can continue the tradition of the ball after being suspended last year," said Thomas Berlemann, CEO of Sporthilfe, on Thursday.
Around 1500 ball guests are expected, including numerous representatives from business and politics such as Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) or the Hessian Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) as well as more than 100 medal winners from the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Musical star guests are Michael Schulte and Zoe Wees.
The ball program will feature action sports such as BMX, parkour and breakdance, which will make its debut at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. In a second sports part, some top biathletes will use the rare opportunity to prove their running ability and accuracy with laser weapons. On the usual ball date in February, the winter sports enthusiasts are usually on competition trips.
The ball usually brings in a high six-figure sum for Sporthilfe. Despite the cancellation last year, it was possible to generate 300,000 euros from curators and regular guests. According to Berlemann, all support measures for the athletes were maintained during the past two years of the pandemic. "We have recently invested a stable 20 million euros every year," said the Sporthilfe boss.
