Record at 43rd sports awards ceremony

City of Hof honors 176 outstanding athletes

Auf dem Bild zu sehen sind viele junge Menschen, die für ihre sportlichen Leistungen geehrt werden — Foto (Stephan Weiss): Gruppenfoto mit allen Geehrten

With a new record number of participants, the city of Hof held its 43rd sports awards ceremony on Wednesday evening in the Festsaal der Freiheitshalle. 176 athletes and numerous volunteers from Hof's sports clubs were honored for their successes and commitment in 2024. Overall, the proportion of young people in Hof's clubs has increased - from 5,016 young people on January 1, 2020 to 5,548 on January 1, 2025.

Eva Döhla, Lord Mayor: "It is impressive to see how much sport is lived in Hof - from young to old, from competitive to recreational sport, and with strong support from volunteers and sponsors. Special thanks go to our supporters: Sparkasse Hochfranken and the Hof Sports Association. We would also like to thank the parents and coaches who put their heart and soul into laying the foundations for every sporting achievement."

Sports medals in bronze, silver and gold were awarded for outstanding sporting achievements at Bavarian, German and international level. The range of disciplines honored ranged from swimming, judo, athletics, figure skating, canoe racing and triathlon to carnival dance, rhythmic gymnastics, para-dressage, tennis and inline field hockey. This year's special honorees are: Timo Cavelius as an Olympic participant in judo up to 81 kg, Michael Hohenberger with his participation in the world championship in inline field hockey, Sebastian Marx as runner-up in the triathlon in the age group 18 to 24 and Dr. Karl Konofsky for his success in tennis at international level (including European champion and 3rd place at the 2024 World Championships in tennis doubles age group 65+).

Among those honored in gold are Katharina Klust from the Post- und Telekom-Sportverein Hof e.V. as German Champion 2024 in Judo Ü30 up to 52 kg for her successful performances on the national stage. Internationally, Günter Konopka from the Hof athletics community earned the gold medal for his participation in the 2024 Masters World Championships in the decathlon. In the "Team" category, the "Soul City Dancers" support association received the gold and silver sports medals. The teams of the year also received special recognition:

the 1st team of ASV Hof 1896 e.V. as champions of the Bavarian Oberliga and promoted to the Regionalliga Bayern,
the TriTeam of IfL Hof e.V., which was promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga.

Volunteer club officials were also awarded bronze, silver and gold medals of honor for their many years of service. 17 committed individuals were honored for their decades of work in sports life in Hof. The city of Hof's sports awards ceremony has been held annually since 1980 and impressively demonstrates the sporting diversity and great voluntary commitment in Hof's clubs.