Sport is an integral part of the Bundeswehr. Servicemen and women must keep fit, a minimum of 180 minutes of sport per week plus annual fitness tests are mandatory. Some service members compete in international military sports competitions. Furthermore, there are numerous athletes active in top-level sports who are supported by the Bundeswehr.
Sport promotes health and concentration, improves endurance and performance – which is essential for the operational readiness of the Bundeswehr. Physical fitness is part of the job description of servicemen and women. Quite a number of areas require maximum physical fitness. Whoever wants to join the combat swimmers, military police or paratroopers has to meet such requirements. Operations and exercises, too, require physical fitness. Servicemen and women are therefore encouraged to exercise in order to pro-actively keep in good physical shape, also during working hours.
The Bundeswehr Joint Support Command trains sports instructors who offer training sessions to field units and provide support in all matters relating to sports and fitness. In addition, every serviceman and woman needs to undergo the annual basic fitness test. In several disciplines, this test examines the individual fitness level and indicates potential needs for optimisation. High levels of physical and mental fitness ensure that servicemen and women are better and more responsible in performing their duties so that they are able to meet to special requirements of their profession.
Having assigned 827 billets to top-level athletes, the Bundeswehr is one of the major promoters of competitive sports in Germany. The promotion of top-level sports allows the servicemen and women to fully concentrate on their sport and thus achieve excellent performance. They demonstrate their skills in international competitions such as the Olympic Games, in which they represent Germany and the Bundeswehr. In the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris, six out of twelve gold medals were won by the military athletes.
The Bundeswehr has 15 sports promotion sections all over Germany in which military athletes are comprehensively taken care of and supported in their individual disciplines and categories. Besides military billets for top-level sports, the Bundeswehr has supported Paralympic athletes in civilian employment relationships for several years now.
Corporal Lukas Märtens after winning the gold medal in the 400-m freestyle race at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris
KMSP/Stephane Kempinaire“Friendship through sport” is the motto under which military athletes compete in various disciplines in worldwide competitions. In addition to many Olympic disciplines, there are specific military disciplines such as military pentathlon and parachuting. The Military World Games held every two years is one of the major military sports events. Similar to the Olympics, there are summer and winter games. Fitness and athletic capabilities, the natural attributes of the military profession, serve as overall connecting elements in military sports. Organised in the Conseil International du Sport Militaire (International Military Sports Council – CISMConseil International du Sport Militaire), military sports are intended to contribute to peaceful cooperation and lead to friendships across borders.