36th German Open Championships in Stuttgart an all-round success

The 36th German Open Championships will go into the chronicles of the world's largest dance sport festival with 62 competitions for Standard and Latin in all age groups as a success. Both the numbers of participants and the audience were right, and the German Dancesport Association (DTV) performed better than ever before in sporting terms. At the press conference on Saturday morning, DTV President Dr Tim Rausche announced 27 medals before the final 16 competitions of the final day, evenly divided into nine gold, nine silver and nine bronze medals. In comparison: in 2023 there were 19 podium places (7/4/8) and second place behind China (14/13/12). ‘Unlike at the Olympic Games in Paris, we are still just ahead of China,’ he joked.

The largest increase in the starting fields came from Asia, with 190 teams from China alone, consisting of couples and solos. A total of nearly 2.000 teams from 59 nations with 4,000 individual starts had registered. ‘Brazil took part for the first time. This emphasises our global significance,’ said Rausche. He particularly emphasised the first victory in the team match for 20 years. ‘From a sporting point of view, the GOC was an all-round success, even if it is regrettable that our best German standard couple, Tomas and Violetta Fainsil, came so close to third in the Grand Slam yesterday.

Managing Director Harry Körner was also satisfied. ‘We have maintained the level of entries from 2023, and there has been growth among the seniors and especially the youngsters. That's positive, because young people are our future.’ The German Open is also attractive for the public. ‘The fantastic atmosphere, the good dancing and the offerings are honoured,’ he said, announcing successful ticket sales.

‘The income corresponds to that of 2023,’ confirmed GOC's CEO Wilfried Scheible. ‘We have increased the entry fees slightly, but not the ticket prices, so the event is financially balanced.’ However, such a major event ‘would not be able to cover its costs without subsidies’, he said, pleased that the sponsor Jako, which had previously been more involved in football, had discovered its heart for dance.

Together with DTV President Rausche and GOC press officer Petra Dres, he also thanked the City of Stuttgart for its generous support and the 565 volunteers from the DTV clubs. ‘The Liederhalle is in operation 24 hours a day, and their employees are also pulling their weight,’ added Dres, who is also jointly responsible for the media presence of the German Open.

‘Over five days, 70 photo and print journalists from 19 countries reported on the event. Our worldwide live streaming was also very well received.’ As Südwestrundfunk (SWR) is no longer producing a major production of the German Open for the second year running, the streaming service has become even more important. ‘We've been organising this ourselves since 2023 and have invested a lot in professional quality this time. That has been worth it,’ said Rausche.

The 37th GOC, which has been postponed by one week due to the World Games 2025 in Chengdu (19 - 23 August), will mark the anniversary of the German Open in Stuttgart. After moving from Mannheim, it will be held in the state capital for the 20th time. ‘Wilfried Scheible, who will then be 80 years old, will retire from the management and place some of the responsibility in younger hands,’ announced Petra Dres, announcing changes in the structure and at management level for the third GOC decade.