2023-12-14 11:24:28
The festive Advent celebration of SPORTUNION Austria took place in Vienna on December 13th. The highlight of the evening was the awarding of the honorary “Liese-Prokop-Schuh” award for the first time.
Vienna (OTS) – Every year again: On December 13th, SPORTUNION Austria’s long-traditional Advent reception once again brought together numerous well-known personalities from a wide variety of areas. Among them are Vice Chancellor and Sports Minister Werner Kogler, Finance Minister Magnus Brunner, Hartwig Löger (former SPORTUNION President), Sport Austria President Hans Niessl, Philipp Trattner (section head of the Sports Ministry), Verena Zeuschner (Healthy Austria Fund), Oliver Stamm (former . Volleyball player), Hannes Aigelsreiter (ORF sports director) and many more. In addition, numerous association presidents and general secretaries from the local sports world also enjoyed a lovely evening.
Austria as a sports nation
Together they looked back on the past year and SPORTUNION President Peter McDonald took the opportunity to thank the many volunteers in the sports clubs, his employees in the association, the SPORTUNION partners and sponsors, and representatives from the healthcare sector , media representatives and the federal government. In his moving speech, he took a look back at a year with many SPORTUNION initiatives and activities, mentioned the great progress in making sport visible (including the premiere of “Daily Movement Unit”, “School Sports Month”, etc.) and was happy about the fact that Austria is on the right path with the help of initiatives such as “We are moving Austria”. According to McDonald, the clubs are always at the center of all these activities and campaigns in Austria. “We as SPORTUNION are a large club association. We represent the interests of thousands of sports clubs and hundreds of thousands of volunteers in the clubs. We support them and their sports – from traditional sports to trendy sports,” says McDonald. “Austria’s comprehensive sports club structure, which is the envy of the world, is a guarantee that we get children and young people into sport and that Austrians stay healthy for as long as possible.”
Award for Sports Minister Kogler and Finance Minister Brunner
One of the many highlights of the evening was the awarding of the former association president Hartwig Löger with the SPORTUNION Ring of Honor. Peter McDonald: “You didn’t just fulfill the task for the SPORTUNION, you loved and lived this role.” In his reaction, Hartwig Löger took a look back at “a great and very intense time” and was very happy about it Award: “I am not only moved, but also touched. The focus was then on the first presentation of the “Liese-Prokop-Schuh” honorary award, newly created by SPORTUNION Austria, to Vice Chancellor and Sports Minister Werner Kogler as well as to Finance Minister Magnus Brunner. This honorary award, created by the artist and sculptor Felix Igler, is awarded to people and institutions who do not belong to SPORTUNION but who deserve special thanks and recognition through their work and achievements.
With passion for sport
“The Liese Prokop shoe is a symbol of maximum performance, absolute fairness and consistent, successful work on the point,” says SPORTUNION President Peter McDonald. “I feel honored to be able to award the first two Liese Prokop shoes to two men who have achieved monumental things for sport in a unique collaboration. They have put their heart and soul into helping to raise the status of sport to where it belongs.” For example, since 2019, the sports budget has been increased by 78.1 percent, the tax deductibility of donations to sports clubs has been implemented and the tax relief for trainers has been implemented . Peter McDonald: “This is due to the work of the federal government, in particular Federal Ministers Werner Kogler and Magnus Brunner, who have made possible a whopping increase of around 50 percent for Austrian sport in 2023.”
Vice Chancellor and Minister of Sports Werner Kogler: Promoting active sports
For Sports Minister Werner Kogler, this award with the “Liese Prokop Shoe” is something very special. In his acceptance speech, he took a look back and into the future and analyzed the current situation of sports in Austria. “As an athlete and as a sports official, Liese Prokop has made great contributions to Austrian sport in general and the sports union in particular. I therefore feel very honored to be the first honorary recipient of the Liese Prokop Prize together with Finance Minister Brunner,” said Werner Kogler. “The trophy in the form of a sports shoe, however, is a painful reminder of what has been neglected in the last four years as sports minister: active sport. Promoting this was of course the primary goal of the 50% increase in special federal sports funding. It has not only succeeded in achieving better training conditions and development opportunities for our top athletes, but also in launching more exercise initiatives for amateur athletes and those new to sports. The additional funding of 40 million euros has already left a deep mark on Austria’s sports landscape in 2023 – more on this in a press conference on Monday.
Finance Minister Magnus Brunner: Strengthening amateur and popular sports
Finance Minister Magnus Brunner thanked us for the award and emphasized the importance of sport: “Sport and exercise are the cornerstones of our health system and should continue to be adequately supported in the future. We therefore strengthen voluntary associations and professional sports equally. By increasing sports funding, we have taken a very important and big step. And by increasing the flat-rate travel expense allowance PRAE, we are ensuring that the clubs can continue practicing. In this way, we strengthen amateur and popular sports and enable clubs to keep trainers in the clubs. Of course, sport also benefits from the expansion of donations. I gratefully accept the Sportunion honorary award ‘Liese-Prokop-Schuh’ – but I also see it as an obligation to continue to actively support Austria’s athletes!”
Honoring SPORTUNION Young Athletes
Another highlight of the evening was the honoring of athletes who stood out through their particular hard work and conscientious participation in all measures as part of the SPORTUNION Young Athletes youth development program launched in 2023: Lea Kassl (ULC Riverside Mödling / Athletics), Marie Stadler (TS Hörbranz / gymnastics), Elias Welzel (Sportunion Mistelbach / table tennis), Collin Kuczka (Sportunion Nordic Thalgau / cross-country skiing), Julian Holzinger (MTB Koppl / mountain bike), Darian Jost (SU Klagenfurt / alpine skiing), Johanna Hesse (gymnastics Union Graz / Rhythmic Gymnastics) and Elina Ganzer (SU Lienz Section / Athletics). Peter McDonald: “The program is groundbreaking for aspiring young sporting talents who have not yet been looked after in a performance center or sports school. Our goal is not only to support the young talents in sports, but also to provide holistic support to their environment, i.e. parents and clubs.” The balance of the SPORTUNION Young Athletes program so far is impressive: athletes from nine federal states and 47 Various sports are part of the program, 73 different clubs are involved.
Have fun & enjoy
The evening ended with curling – many of the guests took part with enthusiasm, many of them getting a taste of this “cool” outdoor sport for the first time. The guests, including some former world champions and Olympic medalists, were fed by the recipe and kitchen masters of the non-profit organization “Food without Borders”.
Questions & Contact:
Sports Union Austria
Wolfgang Wonesch
Referent Public Relations
+43 1 / 513 77 14 DW 03
wolfgang.wonish@sportunion.at
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