Sportland Burgenland

With joy! “Great offer at school”

Provincial Councillor Heinrich Dorner with track and field athlete Caroline Bredlinger in Neusiedl.(Bild: Verena Höchstätter)

The children in Neusiedl am See had great fun showing off their sporting skills. More than 30 pupils are already training at Burgenland's newest school base. The official opening was attended by Provincial Councillor for Sport Heinrich Dorner and top athlete Caroline Bredlinger.

There were hurdles, starting blocks and poles at the official opening of the sports middle school in Neusiedl am See - attended by Provincial Councillor Heinrich Dorner, BLV President Rolf Meixner, 800-meter ace Caroline Bredlinger, Mayor Elisabeth Böhm and Harald Ziniel from the Education Directorate.

The pupils ran over hurdles and through hoops.(Bild: Verena Höchstätter)

Coordination ladders are also used in the athletics units.(Bild: Verena Höchstätter)

Photo with a top athlete
"It's great that this offer exists," said Bredlinger, who was not used to it in her early days, "Athletics is not so well represented in Austria, but it can still grow." The students from Neusiedl were delighted to have their photo taken with the athlete from Trausdorf, who has lifted herself into new spheres in the indoor season with a strong time of 2:01.76, just missing out on the World Indoor Championships by one place.

The students also asked Caroline a few questions.(Bild: Verena Höchstätter)

Additional exercise classes
Director Margit Luisser explains: "We have founded a school sports club and the teachers have trained as instructors." Harald Ziniel, specialist inspector for physical activity and sport, added: "Sport is a good way to teach the increasingly necessary 'soft skills'." Dorner is pleased that Neusiedl is already the third athletics location and work is underway on the fourth: "The most important thing is that there are additional physical activity lessons at schools: That's what Sportland Burgenland is all about."

There were new hurdles, starting blocks and poles for the Neusiedl/See sports middle school.(Bild: Verena Höchstätter)

"Athletics as a basic sport for everyone else"
Top athlete Raphael Pallitsch, himself a teacher and currently on a training camp in South Africa, echoes this sentiment: "Existing sports units should be supplemented with an additional offer. With running, jumping and throwing, athletics is the basic sport for everyone else."