The gay IOC member Michael Mronz is slated to run as the new president of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) on the recommendation of a screening committee, to succeed Thomas Weikert. “The leading federations and the state-level sports associations have discussed this proposal and have agreed to continue their deliberations after the application period ends on October 30, 2026,” the DOSB said in a statement.
A consensus on a single candidate, however, was not tied to that arrangement. A potential opponent to Mronz is being discussed in Martin Engelhardt, the president of the German Triathlon Union. “Representatives of the state associations and the leading federations have agreed to keep open additional perspectives until the end of the application period on October 30, 2026 and, until then, to refrain from endorsing a presidential candidate from the umbrella organizations,” explained Jürgen Scholz, president of the Baden-Württemberg State Sports Association, spokesperson for the state associations, and coordinator of the screening commission.
Mronz ist international gut vernetzt
The 59-year-old sports administrator brings a broad international network through his role with the International Olympic Committee, a connection that could assist Munich’s bid for the Summer Games in 2036, 2040, or 2044 on the global stage.
The current DOSB chief Weikert had announced on Thursday that he would forego another bid for the top post, saying he lacked the energy for another term. Several associations had also signaled that they would not back a re-election at the DOSB’s general assembly scheduled for December 5 in Frankfurt.
Co-Founder of an Olympic Initiative
Mronz has long been viewed as a favorite for the post, but he had previously kept his candidacy open. Instead, he pointed to a screening commission established at the initiative of the spokesperson group of the leading federations and without direct involvement from the DOSB. Candidates may declare their interest until October 30; two weeks later, the DOSB plans to publish the list of applicants for the positions up for election.
As an IOC member, the Cologne-born Mronz already sits on the DOSB Presidium. He is the widower of former foreign minister Guido Westerwelle and serves as chief executive of the Aachen-based Reitturnier GmbH. He also helped found the Rhein-Ruhr initiative, which pursued a bid for the 2032 Olympics. That effort did not come to fruition because the IOC had already chosen Brisbane in Australia as its preferred candidate earlier than expected.
Due to his closeness to the Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr bid in the national competition for another German Olympic bid, there has recently been criticism within parts of the sports community about another rise of Mronz. The NRW project had recently lost the duel against Munich’s bid.
Registered Partnership in 2010
Mronz and the FDP politician Guido Westerwelle entered into a registered life partnership in 2010. Westerwelle died on March 18, 2016, at the age of 54 from leukemia. Since then, Mronz has served as chairman of the Westerwelle Foundation, which Westerwelle founded in 2013 together with entrepreneur Ralph Dommermuth. The foundation supports startups and young companies and aims to strengthen international understanding.
