Deutsche Telekom has been funding top-level German Olympic and Paralympic athletes since 2008 as part of its sponsorship of the Deutsche Sporthilfe foundation.
The company has also expanded its involvement with the foundation over this time. As partner to the junior athletes, the Group, in conjunction with Deutsche Sporthilfe, presents the leading award for young talent in German sport.
One priority area of the partnership is the funding of Paralympic sport and leading Paralympians in Germany.
Deutsche Telekom provides support to Deutsche Sporthilfe-funded athletes to help them advance their careers. This can take a number of forms, including special job application training, internships and discounted cell-phone deals.
Deutsche Telekom has been promoting disabled sports since October 2006, when it initiated a partnership with the German National Paralympic Committee (DBS).
The Group’s main work in this area involves supporting the Team Germany Paralympians, thereby helping to develop and safeguard the future of disabled sports in Germany. Continually improving the framework for disabled sports in the country and placing them on an equal footing with able-bodied sports within society is a key priority for Deutsche Telekom. And supporting elite-level disabled sports and Paralympic athletes is an essential part of this endeavor. Our sponsorship activities in this context make a lasting contribution to raising public awareness of disabled persons within society and the daily challenges they face.
“We view these athletes as role models and we’re keen to support them all the way,” says Henning Stiegenroth, Senior Vice President, Content & Sponsoring at Deutsche Telekom. “Deutsche Telekom is committed to inclusion in sports and society. It’s part of our DNA. Our public initiatives are designed to shine a spotlight on inclusion, diversity, equality, fairness and tolerance within society. Presenting our sports sponsorship work and our social responsibility in tandem like this is one of the ways we promote inclusion.”
Germany’s Blind Football Bundesliga (DBFL) was established in 2008 by the Sepp Herberger Foundation in conjunction with the German National Paralympic Committee (DBS) and the German Federation of the Blind and Partially Sighted (DBSV). Since 2011, a number of DBFL fixtures have been played in a city-tour format. This provides an opportunity for the general public to witness the exceptional performances of disabled sportspeople. Blind soccer matches are played with a special ball that has a built-in rattle or bell to signal its position to the players in any given moment.
Deutsche Telekom has been a partner of the Sepp Herberger Foundation since 2017. In addition to funding the DBFL’s operations, the Group has tied in its “Experience new sports” initiative with the blind soccer matches, enabling sighted players to don special equipment and experience first-hand the challenges of blind soccer while also learning about the special techniques used to overcome them.
For participants, the “Experiencing new sports” initiative truly lives up to its name as they complete challenging drills, some of them involving a current blind soccer player. The initiative also creates an inclusive environment for bringing together blind, visually-impaired and sighted athletes.
SK Gaming
Deutsche Telekom has been involved in eSports and gaming for many years now. Back in mid-2018, the company became the main sponsor and technology partner for SK Gaming, supporting its professional teams in eSports titles such as League of Legends, Clash Royale, Valorant and Brawl Stars. The Magenta eTrophy is a unique series of eSports events that was established by Deutsche Telekom and SK Gaming to bring together professional eSports players with the gaming community.
Equal eSports Initiative
Through its Equal eSports Initiative, Deutsche Telekom is working to promote greater diversity and equality within the eSports scene. The project provides gamers with the opportunity to pursue their passion, regardless of their background, culture or social status. The initiative also operates outside of the funding program – the Equal eSports Cup was launched this last year as the first and largest League of Legends tournament for women and non-binary gamers across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The Equal eSports Festival also takes place annually, giving gaming fans a chance to watch the final of the Equal eSports Cup, enjoy fascinating keynotes, panel discussions and creative workshops, and participate in gaming and mindfulness sessions led by top coaches.
More information on the initiative is available at: www.equal-esports.com/en