Press Release

Braunschweig, 28 December 2023. The selection has been made! Eleven young athletes can look forward to receiving individual support from Volkswagen Financial Services as part of the second round of the company's successful program to sponsor and promote young sports talent. Out of over 200 applications altogether, a high-caliber jury including football icon Almuth Schult and biathlon Olympic champion Arnd Peiffer selected top talents aged up to 22 years and from a wide range of individual and team sports.

The talent program is entering its second round in 2024. 178 new applications have been received via the website https://sporttalente.vwfs.com/ during the past weeks. In addition to these applicants, the 27 sports talents from the 2023 funding year were able to use the specially setup "simplified application procedure" to apply for a continuation of their support for 2024 in the form of a follow-up sponsorship. Now, a jury has selected eleven new young athletes from Lower Saxony to be supported.

Frank Fiedler, CFO of Volkswagen Financial Services AG and a jury member from the very beginning, said: "The success story of our young talent sponsorship program continues. It's great that our initiative has once again met with such a strong response. It was very important to us that this program be continued, even in the current difficult economic situation."

Almuth Schult, who has won numerous national and international titles in her impressive career, is thrilled: "Almost every professional athlete is or was dependent on support measures in their career, especially in their youth. These can be small contributions like travel expenses or financial assistance with sportswear. I myself benefited from this in my younger years, and I would probably not be able to look back on such a successful career without these measures in the field of youth sports. That's why I'm so delighted about the sports sponsorship project funded by Volkswagen Financial Services and supporting it is a matter close to my heart." 

The application phase started in mid-October 2023. The young talents can receive up to EUR 50,000 in individual funding based on a self-calculation of travel expenses, participation fees, training camp costs, coaching fees, sports equipment, and other projected costs. The Volkswagen Financial Services young talent sponsorship program funds talented youngsters aged 13 to 23 in both individual and team sports.

The following athletes and teams will be newly sponsored by Volkswagen Financial Services with the amount they applied for and will be notified by the end of 2023:

• Anna Monta Olek, Judo Team Hannover, judo
• Luys Calin, MTV Braunschweig, tennis
• Hannah Sofie Loist, Young Grizzlys Wolfsburg, ice hockey
• Finja Hermanussen & Karlotta Budimir, Kanu-Club Limmer, canoe racing
• Maira Bank, TSV Quakenbrück, basketball
• Louis Romeo Quarata, VfL Wolfsburg, track and field
• Sören Seebold, Hannover United, wheelchair basketball
• Max Henri Hermann, TSV Bucholz, artistic gymnastics
• Lasse von Freier, Deutscher Alpenverein Sektion Hannover, sport climbing
• Felix Schütt, SV Harkenbleck, badminton
• Florian Kroll, LG Osnabrück, track and field

We will also continue to support the following sports talents from 2023:

• Jonas Körner, Deutscher Alpenverein Sektion Braunschweig, sport climbing
• Paul David Leerkamp, Osnabrücker Ruder-Verein, rowing
• Svea Funck, TV Jahn Walsrode, track and field
• Team from SSG Braunschweig, swimming
• Laura-Dominika Milos, Hannover 96, table tennis
• Kristin Raddatz, VfL Westercelle, Jujutsu
• Team from Deutscher Ruder-Club von 1884 Hannover, rowing
• Ricarda Zander, VfL Wolfsburg, artistic roller skating
• Phil Grolla, VfL Wolfsburg, para track and field
• Alexandra Melnichuk, TGJ Salzgitter, trampoline gymnastics
• Laura Burbulla, VfL Wolfsburg, para track and field
• Jasper Pippig, Golfclub Hannover, golf
• Tim Kalies, Braunschweiger Laufclub, track and field
• Jasper Till Schröder, RC Blau-Gelb Langenhagen, cycling
• Änna Pannek, Kanu- und Segel-Gilde Hildesheim, canoe slalom
• Marcel Meyer, Hannover 96, track and field
• Fabian Schönke, RSC Lüneburg, triathlon
• Team from TK Hannover, 3x3 basketball
• Maivi Fuchs, Blau-Weiß Buchenholze, aerobic gymnastics

The current jury comprises:

• Almuth Schult, World's Best Female Goalkeeper, European champion, Olympic champion – soccer
• Arnd Peiffer, world and Olympic champion in biathlon
• Dr. Kerstin Loehr, Editor-in-Chief of the Braunschweiger Zeitung newspaper
• Frank Fiedler, Member of the Management Board of Volkswagen Financial Services AG
• Dr. Volker Stadler, Chairman of the Management Board of Volkswagen Bank GmbH
• Manfred Kehm, Team Leader, Competitive Sports Promotion, LandesSportBund Niedersachsen e.V.
• Kathrin Boron, four-time Olympic champion and eight-time world champion in rowing

Volkswagen Financial Services are a business division of the Volkswagen AG group of com-panies and comprise Volkswagen Financial Services AG along with its associated companies, Volkswagen Bank GmbH, Porsche Financial Services, and the financial services companies in the USA and Canada that belong directly or indirectly to Volkswagen AG – with the exception of TRATON Financial Services and of Porsche Holding Salzburg. The key business fields embrace dealer and customer financing, leasing, bank and insurance activities, fleet management and mobility services. Volkswagen Financial Services have a total of 17,713 employees worldwide – including 7,692 alone in Germany. Volkswagen Financial Services report total assets of around EUR 240 billion, an operating profit of EUR 5.60 billion, and a portfolio of around 22.0 million current contracts (as at: 31.12.2022).

More information at www.vwfs.com