Cologne is well-known as an enthusiastic sports city, particularly after the exciting games of the 2006 Football World Cup. "Cologne played an exemplary role as the location of the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2005 and as one of the venues of the FIFA 2006 World Cup. In the eyes of the world, Cologne prove to be a warm-hearted and attentive host" - praise indeed from the World Cup Committee for Cologne's contribution to this "summer fable".
The football in 2006 was only the opening act. In the winter of 2007, the cathedral city was the main location for the World Handball Championship, with Germany winning the final against Poland in the Koelnarena. The World Ice Hockey Championships drew worldwide attention in 2010, with Cologne being the location where the final was played.
While the citizens of Cologne are mainly in evidence as an enthusiastic public during such championships, they are themselves heavily engaged in sport: Around 200,000 inhabitants are members of one of the over 800 sports clubs in Cologne. The scope of the over 70 different kinds of sports that are practised in the metropolis on the Rhine ranges from classic disciplines such as football and swimming to new sports trends such as Nordic walking, aquarunning and inline skating.
The home matches of 1. FC Koeln and many other large events, for example the Cologne Marathon or the classic "Rund um Koeln" always produces a happy atmosphere. The ice hockey matches of the "Koelner Haie" (Cologne Sharks) also count among the regular highlights in the events calendar.
Cologne possesses more institutions engaged in sports research, science and teaching than any other German city. Outstanding among these is the Deutsche Sporthochschule of Cologne, founded in 1947, the National Institute for Sports Science, the German Olympic Association Training Academy and the German Football Association Hennes-Weisweiler Academy. Further top-class sports institutions in Cologne are the German Olympic Sports Association Management Academy, the Koeln/Bonn/Leverkusen Olympic base and the International Association of Sport and Leisure Facilities (IAKS), all of which enjoy international renown.
"Interactive sport at first-hand" is offered by the German Sport & Olympia Museum in Rheinauhafen, which brings visitors closer to sport through a unique mix of historic ambience, modern technology and innumerable original items.
Cycle racing "around Cologne" - past the Eigelstein arch
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