What do you personally gain from athletics?
Training and competition were of utmost importance to me for finding my identity. Doing exercise in a group, competing against others, showing what one is capable of, these are still very important aspects of pedagogy.

Is there an athlete or a moment in particular that inspired you?
For me personally, outstanding athletes were Manfred Germar, Martin Lauer, and Armin Hary. Willi Holdorf was an idol too after winning an Olympic gold medal in decathlon.

Have you ever been involved in sport in a different way - as a coach or official for example?
Since my early childhood, sport has been the most important part of my life. Besides athletics, I played table tennis in a regional league, later I was coach and I worked on an honorary basis in sporting bodies.

You have one child. Is he or she active in the sports world?
No question, also my son has focused on physical education in school. He is interested in badminton, but also in athletics he is quite strong.

Tell us more about your career outside of the IAAF (Director of an Institute of Sports Science)…
I studied the German language, cultural sciences, sociology, and sports science. Thus, I tried to build my professional career in sport. After my PhD I worked at many universities in the world and soon I was engaged as professor at the University of Frankfurt. From there, my way led me to the university of Darmstadt and then to my hometown university in Tübingern, where I have been directing the institute of sport science for two years now.

What are your hobbies and interests?
I am interested in many things. Unfortunately, I have not got enough time to follow my hobbies. I like skiing, tennis and jogging. I like folk music, but also musicals and in particular guitarists like Eric Clapton.

As President of the DLV, how would you account for Germany's traditional success in athletics, and for the popularity of athletics in your country?
As president of the German athletic federation I have tried to give the federation a new reform structure. It was of major importance to me that the federation entered into long-term partnerships with TV and strong business partners. I managed to do so in those 8 years. Staff has been renewed and communications has been improved. We can be proud of our success.

You became President of the DLV (in 1993) during the unification period of Germany. What problems did you encounter in bringing two different athletics cultures or systems together?
The process of unification will still go on for some more years, until equal conditions will be established in East and West. This applies also to sport and athletics. The process of unification has been mastered by our athletes first. Our national team has a real team spirit now. Overcoming the past is more difficult, in particular for the elder generation where ideological controversies still exist. Feeling nostalgic, some people are likely to forget the dictatorial past of the GDR. They glorify certain conditions and do not want to understand that the former GDR structure cannot be applied to an open democratic society.

You have been DLV President for the past eight years (NDLR Mr Digel will not be standing for re-election). What do you believe your achievements were during this period and what is your legacy?
Upon my election I pointed out that leading positions should be limited in duration for the sake of innovation and the empowerment of women. Therefore, after eight years, I have decided to step down as president, staying however within the DLV. In the past eight years we have achieved a lot. Our national teams have been very successful. After the first year which was not very strong (the DLV hosted the World Championships in Stuttgart in 1993 but its team members enjoyed only modest success), the coaches' structure was reformed, talent promotion was guided by a strict performance philosophy and we coped with the difficult issues like athletics for children and youth. The last couple of years, were finally marked by stability. Our youth team was very successful at the last World Youth Championships and our juniors were ranked first at the World Junior Championships in Chile. At the last World Championships in Seville our team ranked second. At the same time we have succeeded in optimising our economically relevant events, the indoor and outdoor championships, the DLV Gala, and our international combined events meeting. Now, we have got 100,000 spectators a year in the stadia and our TV audience amounts to more than 100 million. The financial situation is stable and the federation's headquarters is an architecturally interesting building owned by the DLV itself.

As Vice-Chairman of the IAAF Marketing-Promotion Commission, do you feel that the IAAF is doing enough to promote athletics, and how do you think we can improve?
The promotion of athletics has to be improved world-wide. This applies also to the promotion of our World Series, our World Championships, the World Cup and any other major event in athletics. In my opinion, communication tools have not been exhausted to the benefit of athletics. For this purpose, however, the IAAF is in need of reliable organisers in the hosting countries. Unfortunately, too often bidding candidates have promised what the event cannot deliver. Because of this there is a permanent danger of losing face with marketing and TV partners.

This risk has to be minimised in the interest of a safe future for the IAAF. This will also enable us to find new business partners. For this purpose our agency ISL needs the support of all member federations. All parties involved have to understand that contracts are the basis of professionalism in sports marketing. Rights that have been granted once have to be respected. They cannot be questioned each time an organisation would like to, for selfish reasons. So, control will become very important to the IAAF. And before awarding attractive events to our members, much more detailed evaluations need to be made in order to avoid ambush marketing, false promises and inadequate sporting facilities.

The IAAF, in collaboration with ISL, is making a significant investment in Internet development. Do you think that the importance of Internet is justified or exaggerated?
Because it is such a new medium, discussions about Internet are sometimes difficult. Only a few people really have the knowledge to talk about the Internet's future. There are also really unrealistic expectations regarding the source of revenue the Internet may represent for federations. Nonetheless, the Internet is an interesting opportunity, also regarding the IAAF website. Completely new means of communication are possible and in particular the prospects for internal communication may be cost saving on a mid-and long-term basis. So, investments in Internet are urgently needed. I would recommend approaching precise projects. They should be planned and subjected to monitoring. Moreover, creative partnerships with internet experts would be useful.

You are heavily involved in the development of sport in Germany and throughout the world, where does this passion for development stem from?
Since the start of my studies, I have been interested in societies and social change, in comparing cultures and in development questions.

Study trips led me at an early stage to visit the so called less developed countries and I soon realised just how unjust social conditions can be and how immense is the gulf between North and South in global terms. We must try to reduce the existing inequality between the continents with mid and long-term policies. Sport can play a prominent role in this respect as I have shown in many scientific evaluations and consultations offered to countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. For me personally, the development activities of the IAAF are the most important investment for the future.

I am glad about any success of athletes coming from so-called developing nations. When global athletics is increasingly composed of smaller nations and less developed countries, we can show that athletics is more than just a sport. However, I would like to add that the development question is not limited to poor and young nations. For quite a long time development has become a question, also for those of us working in the "old" world.