After winning the silver medal in Tampere, Finland at this year's IIHF World Championship, the German men's national team led by national coach Harold Kreis has now received the award for athlete of the month for May 2023 from the German Sport Aid Foundation.
Athletes and female athletes with outstanding achievements were nominated for election by the Athletes Commission in DOSB, SPORT1 and Sporthilfe.
With a clear majority of over 70 percent of the votes, around 4.000 of Germany's best young talent and top athletes voted DEB-Selection in first place in the vote. Judoka Giovanna Scoccimarro and the table tennis duo Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Patrick Franziska took second and third place.
At the same time, by winning the silver medal, the German team receives an invitation to the Sporthilfe Club der Besten incentive and event week. This will take place from September 23rd to 30th, 2023 at the Aldiana Club Calabria in Italy. The “Sportsman of the Month” award also comes with an invitation to the Ball des Sports on February 17, 2024 in the Festhalle in Frankfurt am Main.
DEB-Sports director Christian Künast: “We are very pleased to see that the majority of athletes voted for our team in this election. This shows us once again how many people our team was able to inspire with their outstanding sporting performance during the World Cup tournament. Many thanks also to the DOSB, SPORT1 and the German Sports Aid for nominating us DEB-Selection. The “Sportsman of the Month” award is not only an incentive for us to continue determinedly, but also a further sign that we are on the right path to further sporting development.”