Under the leadership of Anne-Maria Gehlhar and Gudrun Manuwald-Seemüller, the Chairperson of TransDia e.V. and Trustee in the World Federation (World Transplant Games Federation), the first steps toward a successful event are being taken.
Gudrun Manuwald-Seemüller, herself a liver transplant recipient for 21 years and experienced in participating in the World Games, also serves as the Deputy Managing Director of World Transplant Games 2025 Dresden GmbH. “With the passing of the baton last year in Perth, the starting gun was also fired for us to assemble the team for the execution of the Games,” says Manuwald-Seemüller. “Now we are moving on to the detailed planning.”
New to the team is Anne-Maria Gehlhar, Managing Director of World Transplant Games 2025 Dresden GmbH. A native of Dresden, she is a marketing professional and brings her extensive experience in project management. “We are already looking forward to the Games and especially excited that Dresden will host this great sporting experience,” says Gehlhar. The team from “CitySportMarketing” based in Dresden, around René Kindermann, completes the dedicated organizing committee. “I had the opportunity to see the last World Transplant Games 2023 in Perth and was immediately captivated by the atmosphere and joie de vivre that this special sporting event radiates. We will do everything, true to our motto ‘We love Sports’, to ensure that all participants experience perfect games in Dresden.”
New to the team is Anne-Maria Gehlhar, Managing Director of World Transplant Games 2025 Dresden GmbH. A native of Dresden, she is a marketing professional and brings her extensive experience in project management. “We are already looking forward to the Games and are especially excited that Dresden will host this great sporting experience,” says Gehlhar. The team from “CitySportMarketing” based in Dresden, around René Kindermann, completes the dedicated organizing committee. “I had the opportunity to see the last World Transplant Games 2023 in Perth and was immediately captivated by the atmosphere and joie de vivre that this special sporting event radiates. We will do everything, true to our motto ‘We love Sports’, to ensure that all participants experience perfect games in Dresden.”
The World Transplant Games will take place from August 17 to 24, 2025, and are expected to attract between 2,000 and 3,000 athletes as well as their family members to Dresden. Participation from around 60 nations is anticipated.
One athlete who has been successful at numerous Transplant Games is Dirk Naumann from Weischlitz in Saxony. He studied sports and mathematics and was passionate about playing handball in the second Bundesliga in Zwickau until he was diagnosed with “scleroderma” at age 22. “It is an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to malfunction. The skin, lungs, and other organs are affected,” Naumann explains. “Of course, it was a shock for me.” What followed was a years-long ordeal until in July of the same year, he could hardly walk anymore. In July of the same year, he underwent a long-awaited heart-lung transplant. “That saved my life,” says Naumann, now a 53-year-old father. “My path to recovery was long, but despite many complications, I can play sports again today.” In 2015, Naumann won gold in javelin at the World Transplant Games in Argentina and has since won more titles, including European champion.
The focus of the Games is primarily on educational work about organ donation. The organizing committee of the World Transplant Games 2025 in Dresden looks forward to a successful event that combines not only athletic excellence but also intercultural exchange and awareness-raising for the important issue of organ donation. The city of Dresden benefits from this international major sports event. The general public has access to the events, tourism is promoted, and many athletes take the opportunity to combine their stay in Dresden with a vacation. Additionally, the event offers athletes the chance to train in Dresden beforehand and promotes intercultural encounters, presenting Dresden as a cosmopolitan city.
