Sports award of the city of Hof 2024

168 athletes and 26 officials were honored.

Once again this year, Mayor Eva Döhla welcomed numerous guests who had gathered in the ballroom of the Freiheitshalle to honor the achievements of Hof's athletes and volunteers. This was the 42nd time that the Department of Sport and Leisure had organized the sports awards ceremony. The event reflects the diversity of sport in Hof and recognizes the importance of voluntary work for the community. With 500 guests, it was the largest sports awards ceremony in the city of Hof to date.

The focus was on 168 athletes and 26 officials who have shaped Hof as a city of sport through their achievements. Stephanie Gebhardt and Victoria Tippelt, who won the bronze medal in the 500 m kayak 2-man event at the Special Olympics World Games, and Hof athlete Helmut Hertelendy, who took first place in the 200 m butterfly at the 2023 European Masters Swimming Championships, received special recognition.

"As part of the World Games and the Host Town Program, it was not only possible to celebrate sporting successes last year, but also to establish networks that have a lasting effect and make it tangible that sport makes a significant contribution to inclusion," said Mayor Eva Döhla in her welcoming speech.

Sportsman of the Year 2023 is Sebastian Zeitler from VfB Wölbattendorf e.V. He won 5th place in the German Football Culture Award in the Football Slogan of the Year category with his words "Football is my hobby. If I want to earn money, I go to work" and is the top scorer in all 10 leagues with a proud 77 goals.

The gold sports medal went to Katharina Klust, German champion in judo over 30 up to 52 kg, and Timo Cavelius, who won the title of German champion 2023 in judo up to 81 kg. Both train at the Post- und Telekom-Sportverein Hof e.V.

Teams from the Kanu-Rennsport-Vereinigung Hof e.V. were delighted to receive the silver sports medal: they won the title at the Southern German Championships in the kayak two over 500 m and took second place at the German Masters 2023 in the kayak four mixed over 500 m. The Soul City Dancers e.V. support association also received the silver sports medal for the title of German runner-up 2023 in carnival dance sport for over 15s with the show dance "The Auction" and for the junior show dance "The Island of Hope".

Awards were also traditionally presented to volunteers who have been active in their clubs for 15, 25 and 40 years. Eleven bronze, eight silver and seven gold badges of honor were awarded.

Many words of thanks were addressed to the sports clubs, which provide a sporting home for over 12,000 athletes and thus play an important role in promoting sport in Hof. The indispensable commitment of the volunteers was also duly acknowledged - including coaches, trainers and many parents.

The evening in the small ballroom of the Freiheitshalle was hosted by Tobias Schmalfuß with musical accompaniment from Bernd Schricker on the piano.

The evening was supported by a donation from Sparkasse Hochfranken and the Hof Sports Association.

All photos of the evening can be found at https://www.hof.de/leben-erleben/aktiv-in-hof/vereinsleben-in-hof/sportlerehrung