There hasn’t been as much applause as last Saturday in the Sylt Stadium for a long time. Top sporting performances were not applauded, but in order to change that again, several hundred people came together to set an example for the construction of the Multipark at this point.
Build as quickly as possible
All speakers looked from the steps of the stadium into a sea of banners and posters. “Joie de vivre instead of graveyard peace”, “Multipark – that’s strong”, “Stop complaining about sport + fun” or “We want the Multipark” could be read there. And TSV Westerland also wants the Multipark – at the location of the Sylt Stadium and as soon as possible.
This was made clear by our Managing Director Stefan Reimers in his speech. On behalf of the entire club, which with a total of 1,900 members is the largest in all of North Frisia, he declared his solidarity with all those present and called for the construction of the Multipark as soon as possible: “As soon as possible because athletics with its various disciplines is an extremely important part of our club sport, but the practice here in the stadium is becoming more and more difficult.”
Political approval
He commented on the current discussion with the words: “Unfortunately, there are a few who are against the Multipark, but the crowd of supporters far outweighs it!” Reimers also pointed out that other sports should also be at home in the Multipark. In addition to athletics and roller sports, these include beach volleyball, basketball, parcours and boules.
The other speakers also made it clear how important the Multipark would be for all sports enthusiasts – and especially for the children and young people on the island. Mayor Frank Zahel recalled that there was a “unanimous decision from the politics of all parties and parliamentary groups” for the construction of the Multipark and “a clear desire of society to implement this project.”
For Gernot Westendorf, chairman of Skateboarding Sylt, the demonstration was “a clear signal to the administrative court in Schleswig to please take a close look at what is at stake here on Sylt.” The court is currently dealing with an urgent application by the “IG Anwohner” against the start of construction already approved by the district of North Frisia. Westendorf called on the opponents to withdraw the objection, after all, they had already agreed on the compromise to have a partial roofing of the skate park examined.
“What are you waiting for?”
At the end of the rally, children and young people who have been waiting for the construction of the Multipark for a long time had their say – after all, the initial planning had assumed that it would open in 2019. For them, it’s not just about the fact that the leisure activities on offer would be significantly better. Pupils who are preparing for the sports baccalaureate could also use the facility. At the moment there are no suitable possibilities for this on the island. Addressing the opponents of the current plans, one student asked: “What are you waiting for? What else has to happen for you to finally notice us?” We can only agree with this, because we too are waiting for the Multipark to finally be built.
