Berlin, the Capital of the Federal Republic of Germany, is the largest city in Germany and located in the eastern part of the country. The city occupies the flatlands on the banks of the Havel and Spree rivers and is criss-crossed with numerous canals.

A city rich in history, Berlin was the capital of the German Reich since 1871 and flourished in art and culture. However, the two World Wars – especially World War II – had devastated the city. After the end of World War II in 1945, Berlin was divided into four sectors by the allies and the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 further divided the people.

On 9 November 1989, the city had cause for celebration when the Berlin Wall was finally torn down. This made way for the reunification of East and West Germany subsequently in 1990, after which Berlin became residence of the Federal Government of Germany.

Berlin is the one of most diverse and vibrant cities in Europe. Divided into 12 administrative districts, each district has its own unique character and flavour.

Today, Berlin is largely seen as a trendsetter in Germany and in Europe due to its influence in the realms of science, technology, film, media, architecture and the arts. The combined creative energy of the city’s designers, fashion moguls, photographers, architects and musicians prompted UNESCO to designate Berlin as a "City of Design" in January 2006.

The 1936 Summer Olympic Games, or the Games of the XI Olympiad, was held in Berlin, Germany. These Games were the first to be broadcast on television and saw the introduction of the torch relay based on an idea by Carl Diem, Secretary General of the Organising Committee of the Games of the XI Olympiad.
The Berlin Games are best remembered for Adolf Hitler’s failed attempt to use the Games to prove his theories of Aryan racial superiority. The participation of African-American sprinter Jesse Owens at a time where segregation and discrimination against blacks were the norm in the United States was highly controversial. Nonetheless, Jesse Owens turned out to be the most popular hero of the Games and won four gold medals in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay and long jump events.

Interesting Facts

• Basketball, canoeing and field handball made their first appearances at the 1936 Berlin Games.
• Apart from medals, athletes received a winner’s crown and an oak tree in a pot.

The German Olympic Sports Confederation (Deutscher Olympischer SportBund or DOSB for short) is responsible for the promotion of sports in Germany. DOSB is the umbrella body for German sports and is one of the largest sporting organisations in the world. Its membership numbers 27 million in more than 90,000 sport clubs.

The DOSB has a strong youth sports programme driven by their youth sports arm, the Deutsche Sportjugend (dsj), also known as German Sports Youth. The Deutsche Sportjugend was founded in May 2006 and its mission is to promote sports as a vehicle for youth development. Deutsche Sportjugend represents the interests of its member organisations on a national level and advocates the interests and needs of all young people organised in sports.

The dsj works with youth social groups, ministries and other organisations to provide educational programmes and schemes for young people.

Visit www.dosb.de for more information.