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"TAFISA INNOVATION AWARD" - Sport StadiaNet GmbH receives award from the World Organization for Sports for All.

The award recognizes outstanding new concepts and initiatives for developing sports facilities.

On the occasion of a conference in Vilnius with the Lithuanian Minister of the Interior, Raimundas Palaitis and the Mayor of Vilnius, Vilius Navickas, TAFISA Secretary-General Wolfgang Baumann presented to the managing director of Sport-StadiaNet Michael Tockweiler and to the chairman of the supervisory board Hans Michelberger the "TAFISA Innovation Award" for outstanding new concepts and initiatives in the international development of sports facilities. TAFISA expressed its appreciation for the excellent performance of Sport StadiaNet in the development of world-wide "Sport for All".

In his speech Wolfgang Baumann said that the supply of economical sport facilities for schools and sports is an indispensable factor for the further successful spread of "Sport for All" world-wide. Sport StadiaNet offers a service of new financing and operating concepts for municipalities, ministries and sport organizations, which is world-wide unique.
In his response, managing director Michael Tockweiler thanked TAFISA for the good co-operation: "We are very pleased about this high honor and together we will undertake future efforts to meet the expectations". Tockweiler further: "In many member countries suitable sport facilities are missing. The financing of those facilities is a very large problem for the national ministries who are responsible for sports. We can support international projects, which could not be realized or reduced. With the help of the PPP-concept we build and finance efficient sport facilities. The PPP concept has the advantage that construction and operating risks are transferred to the private partner to a large extent. The goal is to demonstrate within the scope of the world-wide TAFISA programs, the advantages of Public Private Partnership solutions for the construction of efficient sport facilities which are necessary in many places. The chairman of the supervisory board of Sport StadiaNet, Hans Michelberger said: "We are very happy about the high honor and to further international projects".
Under the program: "Aiming for an Active World" the 21st TAFISA World Congress with approx. 200 participants from 44 countries took place in Taipei in September. The general assembly, which takes place every two years, is a platform for international exchange of views in sports. The global "Sport for All" movements received political recognition in the majority of the countries world-wide.

In the meantime 180 organizations from 140 countries are a member with TAFISA (The Association for international Sport for All). It involves usually national Ministries and sport organizations responsible. The high political importance of TAFISA is also documented by the official acknowledgment of IOC, UNESCO and WHO.

The willingness of the TAFISA member organizations to cooperate with Sport StadiaNet with many countries that have urgent need for action is very large today. According to managing director Michael Tockweiler, Sport StadiaNet has successfully planned, financed and converted PPP-Projects in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Croatia, Belgium and the Netherlands.

The new TAFISA program "TRIPPLE AC" (Active City, Active Community, Active Citizens) is a platform in the long-standing partnership, which the TAFISA general assembly adopted recently. The goal is the promotion of development of Sport for All in municipalities.

According to Baumann, the interest in Sport StadiaNet solutions of the participants at the TAFISA World Congress in Taipei was enormous. With Sport StadiaNet we have a partner who can implement PPP-Projects to remedy the deficiencies.