Herbert Hainer: ‘FC Bayern has been conveying values for many generations’

There was a special feature at this year's City of Munich Sports Awards as FC Bayern president Herbert Hainer was broadcast live from the once again sold-out SAP Garden on the sidelines of the basketball team's EuroLeague match. Coach Gordon Herbert's players were unable to be present at the old town hall to receive their honour as 2024 double winners because they were playing against Partizan Belgrade at the same time. Bayern's women footballers were also excused from the event due to their return journey from the Champions League match at Lyon. They had won their second Bundesliga title in a row last season. “FC Bayern is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year,” explained Hainer. “Our club stands for values such as community spirit and tradition. We are proud that we have been conveying this for so many generations.”

Among the 343 athletes who were presented with the Golden Medal of Honour of the City of Munich for their outstanding achievements by deputy mayor Verena Dietl and sports officer Florian Kraus under the moderation of Markus Othmer were the FC Bayern U14 basketball players, who won the national championship in 2024. Representatives of the FCB table tennis department were also honoured in the hall in Emilia Schorr (German mixed U15 champion), Anna Ledwoch, Olha Poko, Anda Qeku, Emilia Schorr and Angelina Xie (German U19 team champions) as well as Florian Bergmeier, Julian Inkis, Nicolas Lendroit, Arnis Qeku and Thomas Schöffel (German U15 team champions). “FC Bayern is not just made up of professionals who win titles in the spotlight on the big stages. It is a home for everyone, and that is why we are very proud of our youngsters - even and especially in sports that are supposedly not so much in the spotlight,” said Hainer.

Speaking from the SAP Garden, Hainer greeted the people in the old town hall via the screen. At this award ceremony, we once again saw “many fantastic athletes with great success. What a great picture that the city of Munich has such a successful sports culture”. The president added that this year's honours also coincided with the International Weeks against Racism. “If you look around the hall, you can see how diverse our society is and how this diversity enriches sport. With its Red against Racism initiative, FC Bayern regularly sets an example in combating all forms of marginalisation, and I would like to reiterate my call from last year, especially at the moment, that all of these athletes being honoured here today are role models.” The audience responded with prolonged applause.

Awards for Kane and Olise

The club president represented the men’s first-team players Harry Kane and Michael Olise, who were honoured for their second place at the European Championships with England and silver at the Olympic Games with France respectively. The FCB women's footballers were not only honoured for their Bundesliga title but also for winning the Supercup and Olympic bronze with Germany, for whom Giulia Gwinn, Lea Schüller, Klara Bühl and Sydney Lohmann played. In basketball, Ivan Kharchenkov from Munich won the European Championship with Germany’s U18s. Hainer explained the club's goals for this season. The men's team want to win back the Bundesliga, the basketball team want to defend their title, and the women have a great opportunity to make history by winning the domestic double for the first time and the Bundesliga three times in a row for the first time. The town hall balcony is just a few metres away, noted Hainer: “We would love to celebrate with the fans there again soon.”

The city also honoured eight participants in the Olympic Games that evening, including one team silver and four team bronze medals. In addition, two participants in the Paralympic Games were honoured, including one individual silver and one individual bronze, as well as three world champions and 18 European champions in various disciplines and age groups.

Bayern’s men will wear a special kit this weekend against St. Pauli: