A German sporting hall of fame has included five former Nazi Party members - but has ignored famous names such as Michael Schumacher and Boris Becker.
Deutsche Sporthilfe, the German sports foundation, set up the pantheon of 40 sports men and women in an effort to encourage youngsters to take up sport.
But the project, which was inaugurated by President Horst Köhler earlier this week, has been dubbed the “Hall of Shame” for its inclusion of Nazi figures.
They include Sepp Herberger, who was Germany’s football manager during the rein of Adolf Hitler, who often used sport for propaganda purposes.
Others include Josef Neckermann, an Olympic riding champion and former Nazi party member, Willi Daume, a former member of the International Olympic Committee member, and Gustav Kilian, a cyclist.
Criticism of the list was met with an angry response from organisers, who said “sport was no better than society”.
“These people led a life after the Nazi era and in some cases they went on to receive awards of merit for the contributions to society,” said Hans Joachim Eltz, a spokesman for Sporthilfe.
The panel of sports officials and journalists, led by Wolfgang Schäuble, the German Interior Minister, was also criticised for including only three women and one sportsman from the former East Germany.
Among the anti-Nazi figures included on the list were Albert Richter, a cycling champion who refused to wear a swastika while competing, and Werner Seelenbinder, a wrestler executed in 1944 for his links to the anti-Nazi resistance.
Organisers plan to add three athletes to the list each year.
Here
No comments:
Post a Comment