Handball: Heiner Brand named to new coaching “Hall of Fame”

A great honor for successful German coaches: In a celebratory ceremony at the German Sports and Olympic Museum in Cologne, the first ten personalities were inducted into the newly established German "Hall of Fame" for coaches. The initiator is the Coaching Academy of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024.

The first ten members are the national swimming coach Bernd Berkhahn (54), the former national handball coach Heiner Brand (73), the former national biathlon coach Fritz Fischer (69), the long-time sports scientist Ulrich Hartmann (72), the former javelin world champion and later coach Steffi Nerius (53), the former national hockey coach Bernhard Peters (65), the former national wrestling coach Lothar Ruch (67), the former handball and hockey coach Zlatan Siric-Bernhard (83), the national rowing coach Sabine Tschäge (55) and the former national hockey coach Hugo Budinger, who died posthumously in 2017 at the age of 90 and who founded the Cologne Trainer Academy in 1974 and was its first director.

The selection was made by a five-member jury, including Lothar Linz, director of the coaching academy, his deputy Frank Wieneke, Holger Hasse, chairman of the professional association of coaches, Ulla Koch, long-time national artistic gymnastics coach and academy employee, and sports journalist Frank Nägele. The Hall of Fame will be expanded annually with new members.

With this award, the coaching academy aims to "set a sign of appreciation for a profession that operates in the background yet is crucial," it said. Without the commitment of coaches, athletic careers, Olympic medals, and emotional sporting moments would be unthinkable.

The individuals honored on Tuesday evening represent more than 500,000 coaches in Germany "who advance the sport with their dedication and passion day after day." Induction into the Hall of Fame is also intended to honor individuals who have significantly influenced the training and development of coaches.

RND/dpa