The Mayor of Berlin presents the Berlin Sports Museum – AIMS-Marathoneum – with World Cup Soccer Champions’ Autographs – By Horst Milde

On Monday, July 28, 2014 at 2:00pm at the Olympic Park, Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit presented the Berlin Sports Museum  – the AIMS Marathoneum – with the autographs of the World Cup champions, the German national football team.   

On July 15, 2014, Mayor Wowereit welcomed home the German national soccer team on the Fan Mile in front of the Brandenburg Gate and congratulated them on their World Cup victory in Brazil. During the reception, the mayor acquired some extra autographs from the World Cup champion team members for the Berlin Sports Museum. Before setting foot on stage at the Berlin Fan Mile, the world champion team signed the capital city’s official guest book.

Director of the Berlin Sports Museum, Martina Behrendt, received the mayor in the atrium of the House of German Sports at Adlerplatz, in the Berlin Olympic Park. In the atrium, some of the museum’s exhibits were also set out on display, everything from football history to the cycling world champion jersey.

Klaus Wowereit bestowed the autographs to the director of the museum, along with a detailed list of all of the names of the World Cup champions, but not without mentioning that other sports memorabilia objects from city hall are also awaiting transfer to the museum, as Berlin has had many successful teams from all kinds of sports.

In 2009, on the occasion of the World Athletics Championships in Berlin, the mayor received an autographed spike shoe from sprint champion Usain Bolt.

After bestowing the autographs, the mayor visited the running hall of fame, the “Marathoneum,” including highly significant exhibits on Paul Tergat, Naoko Takahashi, Haile Gebrselassie, Patrick Makau and many other heroes of the sport of running. Horst Milde, longtime race director of the Berlin Marathon and the man responsible for the collections of the AIMS Marathoneum, was present to serve as a professional guide, as well as Gerd Steins, who provided commentary on the history, context and intent of the exhibitions.

The bestowal visit to the Berlin Sports Museum – AIMS Marathoneum – was capped off with a tour of the famous 1936 Olympic Games’ domed hall, which is currently only open for limited access to the public.

The mayor was accompanied by a large number of journalists and photographers, which provided the visit with a great resonance on television and in print media.

The Sports Museum and the Marathoneum not only received nice additions to their collection of memorabilia, but also increased their popularity and awareness both in Berlin and among the German public.

Horst Milde