Glossary
The content and requirements of the respective main and sub-attributes as well as the criteria used for the assessment are summarised in the requirements and evaluation guidelines. Applicable is the current version. The information should make it easier for national sport federations to enter information into the data management system.
Download the requirements and evaluation guideline for summer sports 2023/24 (PDF)
During the PotAS evaluation, there is a three-stage consultation procedure that accompanies the process: In principle, the PotAS office is available to the national sports federations at any time from the publication of the requirements and evaluation guidelines for all questions. If necessary, the responsible member of the PotAS Commission will be directly involved.
As the second stage of the consultation process, the PotAS Commission is offering a digital information event following the publication of the requirements and evaluation guidelines in. During this event, the national sports federations will have the opportunity to ask questions about the content of the requirements and evaluation guidelines. In addition, a technical briefing on the PotAS data management system will be offered before the start of the submission phase. For the result in HA 4, the PotAS Commission will make further offers of dialogue to the summer sports federations before the final report is published, if necessary.
Finally, during the evaluation phase, the members of the Commission actively approach the national sports federations with any queries.
The PotAS Commission has developed an attribute system that is based on current sporting and sports science standards and enables an objective and transparent assessment of potential in the disciplines and discipline groups. The content and requirements of the respective main and sub-attributes as well as the underlying assessment criteria are described in the requirements and evaluation guidelines. The current version applies in each case.
Further information on the attribute system
Download the requirements and evaluation guideline for summer sports 2023/24 (PDF)
The evaluation questions form the lowest level of the attribute system and, with a few exceptions, can be answered with YES/NO. The criteria that must be fulfilled for each evaluation question are listed in the requirements and evaluation guidelines. All questions answered with ‘YES’ by the national sports federations must be made comprehensible and verifiable for the PotAS Commission on the basis of additional information or documents from the national sports federations. As a prerequisite for the evaluation of the accompanying documents by the commission, the text passages that are meaningful for the assessment must be explicitly and without exception referenced by stating the respective page numbers.
The evaluation of the national sports federations is carried out at the level of the disciplines/discipline groups.
Download the discipline classification summer sports 2023/24 (PDF)
Download the discipline classification winter sports 2022 (PDF)
The funding commission is the third instance within the three-tier funding system. Following the PotAS analysis, discipline-specific funding proposals are developed during the structural discussions (see structural discussions). These form the basis for the funding decision, which is made by the funding commission chaired by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community (BMI). In addition to the BMI, the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) and the federal states (if involved) are also represented.
Data from the federations is entered, processed and stored using the PotAS forms management system, which was developed specifically for the requirements of PotAS. Compliance with current data protection regulations and the IT security standards of the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) is ensured.
A main attribute is composed of one or more sub-attributes (see sub-attribute).
In the main attributes of the ‘Structure’ pillar, the total score to be achieved is set to 100 %, which corresponds to a ‘YES’ rating for all questions (111 questions = 111 points ≈ 100 %).
The number of questions rated ‘YES’ in the structural attributes is expressed as a percentage value relative to the maximum number of points (e.g. if 100 out of 111 questions are rated positively, this corresponds to a percentage result of 90.09%). This approach means that each individual question within the structural attributes has the same weight.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior and Home Affairs (BMI) and the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) have jointly decided on the reform of elite sport in the concept "Restructuring of competitive sport and elite sport funding".
It was appointed in 2017 by the then Federal Minister of the Interior, Dr. Thomas de Maizière.
The Commission is supported in its work scientifically and administratively by an office that is organisationally affiliated to the Federal Institute of Sports Science.
Further information: PotAS Head Office
The PotAS Commission was established as part of the elite sport reform in May 2017 and appointed by the then Federal Minister of the Interior, Dr Thomas de Maizière. It developed the attribute system (see attribute system) and the requirements and evaluation guidelines (see requirements and evaluation guidelines). The PotAS Commission currently consists of a chairperson, four full members and their deputies. Chairman of the commission is Professor Dr Urs Granacher, University of Freiburg. The task of the PotAS Commission is to assess the attributes in the respective disciplines or discipline groups according to objective, transparent, sports science and sports-specific evaluation criteria that are relevant for a prospective performance. The expert commission also evaluates the overall process and makes any necessary adjustments.
Further information: PotAS Commission
Evaluation system for the success attributes (main attributes 1 and 3)
The assessment of success attributes has been further developed. The focus of the success attributes is on the discipline-specific gap to the world's best. This is calculated from the average total score of the best three nations per discipline. The gap to the world's best is now calculated as the percentage ratio of one's own result compared to the mean value described. If one's own result is above the mean value, the maximum percentage value to be achieved is 100.
The evaluation is based on places 1-8 of each competition. Each nation represented here is rated according to the following system:
- Place = 60 points
- Place = 40 points
- Place = 20 points
- Place = 10 points
- Place = 8 points
- Place = 6 points
- Place = 4 points
- Place = 2 points
If a nation is represented more than once, the points achieved are added together.
If a competition is assigned to several disciplines, the points achieved are divided by the number of disciplines (cross-discipline mixed competitions; see Table 4)
Evaluation system for athlete potential (main attribute 4)
As part of the 2023/24 potential analysis for the summer Olympic sports federations, the athlete potential for the 2028 Olympic Games will be determined primarily with the help of a sports database.
Further information is available here
Evaluation system for the structural attributes (main attributes 5 -11)
In the structural attributes, the total score to be achieved is set to 100 %, which corresponds to a ‘YES’ rating for all questions (111 questions = 111 points ≈ 100 %).
The number of questions rated ‘YES’ in the structural attributes is expressed as a percentage value relative to the maximum number of points (e.g. if 100 out of 111 questions are rated positively, this corresponds to a percentage result of 90.09%). This approach means that each individual question within the structural attributes has the same weight.
Creation of the ranking
Following the assessment, the results of the analyses are ranked by the PotAS data management system.
PotAS is an instrument for realising the objectives of the restructuring of competitive sport and the promotion of elite sport. It is designed as an ongoing process and is constantly being optimised and further developed.
In the course of the elite sport reform adopted at the General Assembly of the German Olympic Sports Confederation on 3 December 2016, a paradigm shift towards potential-oriented federal funding of the national sports federations (‘national sports federations’) was initiated.
The current funding system is based on the PotAS Commission's analysis of the national sports federations. For this purpose, a potential analysis system was developed by the PotAS Commission, taking into account sport-specific and sports science expertise, which enables a discipline (group) specific evaluation of the national sports federations with regard to their potential for success. The focus of this analysis is on the framework conditions within the federation, which have a significant influence on the daily work of coaches and athletes. The stated aim of the PotAS evaluation is therefore to assess and rank the national sports federations and their disciplines using the potential analysis system with regard to previously defined and potentially success-relevant criteria.
Following the evaluation of the structural attributes by the PotAS Commission, the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) conducts structural discussions with the top summer sports federations involving the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community (BMI), the federal states, the state sports associations, the partners in the service and research sector and the Federal Institute for Sports Science (BISp) as well as the German Sports Aid Foundation (DSH). Discipline-specific funding proposals are developed during the structural discussions and submitted to the funding commission. The PotAS Commission participates in the structural discussions in an advisory capacity as required, but not in the meetings of the Funding Commission.
A sub-attribute is made up of one or more evaluation questions.
The timetable is agreed in advance with the BMI and DOSB (including federation representatives). In addition to the PotAS process, it must also keep an eye on the structural discussions and the annual financial effectiveness so that the federations receive their grants on time.
Details on the respective schedules can be found here (Summer sports/ winter sports).