12 sports, nearly 200 athletes, and 4 emotional days of competition: The German Championships for Transplanted and Dialysis Patients demonstrated the incredible joy and vitality that people can experience after an organ transplant when engaging in regular physical activity. While athletic performance plays a role, it’s ultimately secondary. For the athletes, what truly matters is their “second life” after transplantation, reconnecting with friends, and the shared journey they’ve endured. This was powerfully symbolized by the “Circle of Life,” a human chain formed by participants at the end of the athletics competitions in the Heinz-Steyer-Stadium.
Positive Takeaway: A Weekend Full of Sport and Solidarity
“Dresden is truly a special host city. We had even more participants than at the previous championships, which is certainly also due to the incredible anticipation for the World Transplant Games this August,” says Gudrun Manuwald-Seemüller, Chair of TransDia Sport Deutschland e.V. and Managing Director of the World Transplant Games 2025 Dresden GmbH. Participation in the German Championships is a prerequisite for qualifying for the WTG. There are no age restrictions. In Dresden, athletes aged between 4 and 80 competed in twelve different sports.
The main venue was the new Heinz-Steyer-Stadium, which hosted track & field and walking football, among others. Other facilities that will also be used for the WTG included the Freiberger Platz Swimming Complex (swimming), the TC Blau-Weiß Blasewitz tennis club, and the Ullersdorf Golf Course.
Transplant Sport Icon: Bera Wierhake
A major name in transplant sports is Bera Wierhake. Shortly after birth, she suffered severe liver complications, and a transplant became necessary—a process that, due to the donor shortage in Germany, is a huge challenge for almost all affected. After two failed attempts, the third transplant was successful. Today, the 24-year-old from VfB Stuttgart is considered one of the world’s most successful transplant athletes in track & field and is an official ambassador of the World Transplant Games 2025.
At the German Championships, she competed in the mini-marathon (3,000 meters), the 1,500-meter run, and the relay. She dominated both individual events but said:
“Winning isn’t what matters most to me here. I’m just thrilled that the German team continues to grow, that I get to see so many friends again – and that I can run in this amazing stadium.”
Medal Ceremony with Mayor and a Special Football Match
The medal ceremony for the track and field events was hosted by Jan Donhauser, Dresden’s First Mayor and Deputy for Education, Youth, and Sport. He was deeply impressed by the event:
“It’s fantastic that the German Championships are taking place in Dresden. As a city, we can all truly look forward to the World Transplant Games in August.”
The WTG is expected to welcome around 2,500 athletes from 60 countries to Dresden from 17 to 24 August.
Even outside the official competitions, the power of solidarity and community in the transplant community was clearly felt. In a friendly football match between the FC Landtag (State Parliament team) and the German National Transplant Team, the score – a resounding 12:1 win for the transplant team – was secondary to the message of fair play, inclusion, and the spirit of sport. The match also featured the first official unveiling of Team Germany’s kit for the World Transplant Games 2025: a vibrant red symbolizing energy, life, and unity.
© City Sport Marketing / Erik-Holm Langhof
