German Sports Badge
Encyclopedia
The German Sports Badge is a decoration of the German Olympic Sports Federation DOSB, of the Federal Republic of Germany. The German Sports Badge test is carried primarily in Germany, but any German citizen living abroad may apply to become judges and hold tests on their own, and the decoration can be awarded to any person participating in the test.
is another older award which is still issued in Germany, although the criteria for that decoration has changed since its original issuance as a military order.
Between 1914 and 1933, the German Sports Badge was issued for the completion of various physical tests
by the young male population. As a military award, during the inter-war years of the 1920s and prior to 1933, the German National Sports Badge was one of the few military awards bestowed to the peacetime Reichswehr
.
which was a sports badge issued by the Nazi Party. Even so, the German Sports Badge was still regarded as an important qualification badge, and both the SA Sports Badge and German Sports Badge could both be earned and displayed simultaneously
The SS considered the German Sports Badge of particular importance and the decoration was one of nine awards which were listed on the front of all SS service record
s with spaces for qualification dates.The other eight awards were the SS Zivilabzeichen
, the Coburg Badge
, the Blood Order
, the Golden Party Badge
, the Totenkopf ring
, the Ehrendegen, the SA Sports Badge
, and the German Equistrian Badge Regulations of the Allgemeine-SS required a prospective SS candidate
to qualify for both the the German Sports Badge and the SA Sports Badge during a six month probationary period upon joining the SS. Notable SS recipients of the German Sports Badge include Reinhard Heydrich
, Joseph Mengele, and Amon Göth
.
and continued in this status after German reunification
. Today, the German Sports Badge is a civilian decoration but it can be worn as an official award of the Bundeswehr
, law enforcement and emergency services and certain allied nations.
, but the test must not be older than one year. Allied soldiers may also be awarded the badge and wear the badge as a ribbon.
The German Sports Badge is also an entry requirement for certain German Police services.
To earn the award one must complete the following requirements (Requirements vary according to age category and gender):
The following changes and various further changes are planned to be implemented by 2012:
A license for a judge is valid for a period of four years.
German school physical education instructors and Bundeswehr instructors underlie different requirements.
German citizenship for a judge is not required, however, the judge has to be holding the tests for a German sports association, a German school or the German military. However, exceptions can be made in special cases. The only case so far of this, is a Danish National who was made judge for the Danish Emergency Management Agency
, due to the fact that Denmark had no Sportsabzeichen-judges.
The badge for a judge (Prüferabzeichen) is similar in shape as a regular sports badge, however, the color is green and it features a banner with the inscription Prüfer.
The Prüferabzeichen is no longer awarded, instead a t-shirt with the text "Sportsabzeichen team" is awarded.
Judges for the German Sports Badge may also judge the following badges:
The Bavarian Sports Badge is comparable to the German Sports Badge, however, differences exists:
Special awards:
Design:
Creation and early history
The German Sports Badge, also known as the "German National Sports Badge" was first created in the year 1912 and is one of the oldest awards of Germany still in active circulation. The Pour le MéritePour le Mérite
The Pour le Mérite, known informally as the Blue Max , was the Kingdom of Prussia's highest military order for German soldiers until the end of World War I....
is another older award which is still issued in Germany, although the criteria for that decoration has changed since its original issuance as a military order.
Between 1914 and 1933, the German Sports Badge was issued for the completion of various physical tests
Physical fitness
Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...
by the young male population. As a military award, during the inter-war years of the 1920s and prior to 1933, the German National Sports Badge was one of the few military awards bestowed to the peacetime Reichswehr
Reichswehr
The Reichswehr formed the military organisation of Germany from 1919 until 1935, when it was renamed the Wehrmacht ....
.
Nazi Germany
Between 1933 and 1939, the German Sports Badge was overshadowed by an almost identical decoration, the SA Sports BadgeSA Sports Badge
The SA Sports Badge was a decoration of Nazi Germany that was issued between the years 1933 and 1945. It was a political version of the much more generic German Sports Badge which was also issued in great numbers by the Nazis....
which was a sports badge issued by the Nazi Party. Even so, the German Sports Badge was still regarded as an important qualification badge, and both the SA Sports Badge and German Sports Badge could both be earned and displayed simultaneously
The SS considered the German Sports Badge of particular importance and the decoration was one of nine awards which were listed on the front of all SS service record
Service record
A service record is a collection of either electronic or printed material which provides a documentary history of a person's activities and accomplishments while serving as a member of a given organization...
s with spaces for qualification dates.The other eight awards were the SS Zivilabzeichen
SS Zivilabzeichen
The SS Zivilabzeichen , was a badge of the SS issued between the years of 1933 and 1938 to certain SS officers.Translated as "SS-Civil Badge", the SS Zivilabzeichen was a small lapel pin worn on civilian clothing to denote membership in the SS. The badge was most commonly awarded to members of the...
, the Coburg Badge
Coburg Badge
The Coburg Badge is one of the highest ranked awards in the Nazi Party. It consists in the form of a simple looking badge in bronze with a little village on top of a wreath and a sword placed tip downward across the face of a swastika within the wreath...
, the Blood Order
Blood Order
The Blood Order , officially known as the Decoration of 9 November 1923 , was one of the most prestigious decorations in the Nazi Party...
, the Golden Party Badge
Golden Party Badge
The Golden Party Badge was a special badge of the Nazi Party. The first 100,000 members who had joined and had uninterrupted service in the Party were given the right to wear it...
, the Totenkopf ring
SS-Ehrenring
The SS-Ehrenring , unofficially called Totenkopfring , was an award of Heinrich Himmler's Schutzstaffel . It was not a state decoration, but rather a personal gift bestowed by Himmler...
, the Ehrendegen, the SA Sports Badge
SA Sports Badge
The SA Sports Badge was a decoration of Nazi Germany that was issued between the years 1933 and 1945. It was a political version of the much more generic German Sports Badge which was also issued in great numbers by the Nazis....
, and the German Equistrian Badge Regulations of the Allgemeine-SS required a prospective SS candidate
Anwärter
Anwärter is a German title which translates as “Candidate”. In modern day Germany, the title of Anwärter is typically used by those applying for employment and also as a designation for members of the Bundeswehr who are under consideration for a leadership assignment.During the Third Reich,...
to qualify for both the the German Sports Badge and the SA Sports Badge during a six month probationary period upon joining the SS. Notable SS recipients of the German Sports Badge include Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich , also known as The Hangman, was a high-ranking German Nazi official.He was SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei, chief of the Reich Main Security Office and Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia...
, Joseph Mengele, and Amon Göth
Amon Göth
Amon Leopold Göth was an Austrian Nazi and the commandant of the Nazi concentration camp at Płaszów, General Government...
.
West Germany
After World War II, the German Sports Badge was continued as a federal decoration in West GermanyWest Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
and continued in this status after German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
. Today, the German Sports Badge is a civilian decoration but it can be worn as an official award of the Bundeswehr
Bundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
, law enforcement and emergency services and certain allied nations.
Present day
The German Armed Forces Sports Badge is a requirement in order to earn the German Armed Forces Badge for Military ProficiencyGerman Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency
The German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency is a decoration of the Bundeswehr, the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany....
, but the test must not be older than one year. Allied soldiers may also be awarded the badge and wear the badge as a ribbon.
The German Sports Badge is also an entry requirement for certain German Police services.
To earn the award one must complete the following requirements (Requirements vary according to age category and gender):
| Group | Section | Disciplines | Substitutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swimming | 50 or 200 meters swim | none |
| 2 | Jumping power | High-jump or Long-jump | Pommel horse or leap frogging |
| 3 | Speed | 50/75/100/400/1000 meter run, 300/500 bicycling or 300/500 meters inline-skating | Ice-skating |
| 4 | Physical strength | Stone- or shot-put, 100 meter swim | Shooting sports, Bench press or weightlifting, Canoeing or rowing |
| 5 | Endurance | 800/1000/2000/3000/5000 meters run, 5000/10000 meters inline-skating, 10 kilometers walk, 7 kilometers Walking/Nordic Walking, 20 kilometers bicycling, 600/1.000 meters swim cross-country skiing | Canoeing, rowing, bowling or ice-skating |
Future changes
The workgroup Projektgruppe Deutsches Sportabzeichen of the German Olympic Sports Association announced various changes for the German Sports Badge.The following changes and various further changes are planned to be implemented by 2012:
- Renaming the German Sports Badge to the German Olympic Sports Badge (Deutsches Olympisches Sportabzeichen)
- Introducing basic and advances levels, as seen on the Austrian Sports BadgeAustrian Sports BadgeThe Austrian Sports Badge is a decoration presented for physical fitness by the Republic of Austria.-History:...
- The number of the year in which the sports badge was awarded will be shown on the award
- Adapting the requirements to modern standards
Sportabzeichen judge
Prospective judges have to fulfill certain requirements in order to obtain judging qualifications:- Membership in a German sports club.
- Have completed a German Sports Badge (Repetitive completion on a yearly basis is preferred).
- Previous experience of assisting a judge for the German Sports Badge.
- Licensed sports coach or completion of judging class.
A license for a judge is valid for a period of four years.
German school physical education instructors and Bundeswehr instructors underlie different requirements.
German citizenship for a judge is not required, however, the judge has to be holding the tests for a German sports association, a German school or the German military. However, exceptions can be made in special cases. The only case so far of this, is a Danish National who was made judge for the Danish Emergency Management Agency
Danish Emergency Management Agency
The Danish Emergency Management Agency is a Danish governmental agency under the Ministry of Defence. Its principal task is to manage an operational part who work out of six Emergency Management Centres, and administrative and legalizing part, who supervises the national and municipal rescue...
, due to the fact that Denmark had no Sportsabzeichen-judges.
The badge for a judge (Prüferabzeichen) is similar in shape as a regular sports badge, however, the color is green and it features a banner with the inscription Prüfer.
The Prüferabzeichen is no longer awarded, instead a t-shirt with the text "Sportsabzeichen team" is awarded.
Judges for the German Sports Badge may also judge the following badges:
- Austrian Sports BadgeAustrian Sports BadgeThe Austrian Sports Badge is a decoration presented for physical fitness by the Republic of Austria.-History:...
- European Police Achievement BadgeEuropean Police Achievement BadgeThe European Police Achievement Badge is a decoration offered by the European police sports association Union Sportive des Polices d'Europe . It is awarded for proficiency in marksmanship, swimming, and running...
- Bavarian Sports Badge
- Deutscher Leichtathletik-VerbandDeutscher Leichtathletik-VerbandThe Deutscher Leichtathletik-Verband is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Germany.- External links :*...
Running BadgeRunning badgeThe Running Badge is an award of the German Athletics Organization. Various levels of the Running Badge are awarded for the completion of running for certain periods....
Bavarian Sports Badge
The Bavarian Sports Badge (German Bayerisches Sport-Leistungs Abzeichen or BSLA) is a sports badge awarded by the Bavarian Athletes Organization (Bayrischer Landes-Sportverband).The Bavarian Sports Badge is comparable to the German Sports Badge, however, differences exists:
- The letters LSA instead of DSOB are shown in the award
- The bronze, silver and gold awards indicate the level of difficulty instead of the number of repetitions
- Higher requirements have to be fulfilled in order to be awarded the sports badge
- The German Sports Badge may be worn on some countries military uniforms as an official German decoration, but the Bavarian may not.
Grades
The decoration has three grades:- German Sports Badge in Bronze (Deutsches Sportabzeichen in Bronze) is awarded for completing the test the first and second time.
- German Sports Badge in Silver (Deutsches Sportabzeichen in Silber) is awarded for completing all the tasks on the third and fourth time.
- German Sports Badge in Gold (Deutsches Sportabzeichen in Gold) is awarded for completing all the tasks after the fifth time and subsequently.
- German Sports Badge in Gold special badges exist for repetitions of multiples of 5 (10, 15, 20 etc.).
Special awards:
- German Sports Badge for juveniles Deutsches Sportabzeichen für Kinder und Jugendliche
- German Sports Badge with special requirements for handicapped persons.
Design:
See also
- Order of Merit Cross of the German Federal RepublicBundesverdienstkreuzThe Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...
- Awards and decorations of the German Armed ForcesAwards and decorations of the German Armed ForcesThe Awards and decorations of the German Armed Forces are decorations awarded by the German Bundeswehr, the German government, and other organizations to the German military and allied forces...
- European Police Achievement BadgeEuropean Police Achievement BadgeThe European Police Achievement Badge is a decoration offered by the European police sports association Union Sportive des Polices d'Europe . It is awarded for proficiency in marksmanship, swimming, and running...
- Austrian Sports BadgeAustrian Sports BadgeThe Austrian Sports Badge is a decoration presented for physical fitness by the Republic of Austria.-History:...
- German rescue swimming badgeGerman rescue swimming badgeThe German rescue swimming badge is awarded by the Wasserwacht of the German Red Cross and the DLRG for proficiency in rescue swimming skills...
- List of German Sports Badges
External links
- http://www.sportabzeichen.de comprehensive information and references about the German Sports Badge (in German)
- http://www.army.tcu.edu/germansports.asp references on the German Sports Badge (in English)