The facilities, financed by the NRW funding program "Modern Sports Facility 2022", include inclusive calisthenics facilities and smaller strength equipment as well as equipment to train endurance, agility and coordination. A wheelchair-accessible floor trampoline, a slackline and a table tennis table add playful components to the facilities.
Mayor Katja Dörner: "As a modern sports city, we want to create exercise and meeting spaces for everyone. This includes attractive facilities that appeal to both individuals and groups. There is also a special focus on integration and inclusion: this is how we create social cohesion and a dynamic sports landscape that gets as many Bonn residents as possible moving." To ensure barrier-free use of the new facilities, the planning was carried out in close consultation with the Bonn Disabled Community.
The deputy district mayor of Bad Godesberg, Elke Melzer, was delighted with the additional sports facilities for the district: "With the inauguration of the outdoor facility, Bad Godesberg has another attractive sports facility in addition to the renovated volleyball court and the sports box in the Kurpark. It is also a meeting place, because sport not only keeps you fit, it also brings people together, regardless of their background."
Ute Pilger, Chairwoman of the Stadtsportbund Bonn, explained: "The facility at Rigal'sche Wiese is the largest in the overall 'Modern Sports Facility 2022' package and is symbolic of our focus on sustainability in Bonn's sports sector. We have based the implementation of the overall concept on the sustainability criteria of the Federal Institute for Sports Science. Many sports clubs are already making a valuable contribution and helping the city of Bonn to achieve its sustainability goals."
In addition to the three new outdoor fitness facilities, the mobile pump track on the former sports field in Pützchen was also funded as part of the "Modern Sports Facility 2022" funding program. The track is suitable for skateboards and X-bikes, for example, and has been available for use since the end of May. It is mobile because it has to be dismantled for Pützchens Markt and moved to the grounds of Beuel Integrated Comprehensive School for this time.
All four projects are being funded by the State Chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia with a total of 500,000 euros, which corresponds to the maximum funding amount from the program. The total costs for the measures amount to 635,000 euros. Work on the Rigal'sche Wiese site began in mid-March 2024, with work on the other two sites following shortly afterwards.
State program "Modern sports facility 2022"
In the "Modern Sports Facility 2022" funding program of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the sports administration developed an overall concept in coordination with the city sports association to build outdoor sports facilities. The new locations are part of the program. In addition to the disabled community, experts from the Bonn sports scene were also involved in the planning.
The focus of the overall concept is the construction of outdoor fitness facilities, as a survey by the sports development planning department shows that everything to do with "fitness" is one of the most popular sports in Bonn - and there is a desire among citizens for more opportunities for outdoor fitness.
The aim is to create cross-generational recreational, exercise and meeting spaces in Bonn. The focus here is on use by both individual athletes and groups. The exercise spaces should fit into the local environment and complement the existing infrastructure. For this reason, most of the locations were chosen to be close to existing sports facilities. It is crucial for the concept that the new projects offer a motivating, fun-oriented range of exercise.
Volleyball court on Rigal'scher Wiese also renovated
The newly renovated beach volleyball court at Rigal'schen Wiese has also recently been inviting sports enthusiasts to play: The Office for the Environment and Urban Greenery has had the 20-year-old facility completely renovated over the past four weeks. In accordance with current regulations, the court was enlarged by several meters and now measures around 300 square meters. An additional two-meter-wide strip of sand and plastic covers on the concrete surrounds of the pitch ensure greater safety. A vandal-proof net was also installed.
