Former President of the United Nations Human Rights Council Dr Joachim Rucker has been commissioned to lead preparations.

An Advisory Board to develop a Human Rights Policy for the DOSB is set to be formed, while a roundtable on the topic "Sport and Human Rights", is due to be held.

"Dr. Joachim Rücker is indisputably an outspoken expert in this field," said DOSB President Thomas Weikert.

"Therefore, we are very pleased to have won him for this task. We want to and must take the next steps quickly."

Rucker added: "The planned establishment of a Human Rights Advisory Board at the DOSB shows the consistency with which the DOSB, its Executive Committee and the member organisations continue to anchor and institutionalise the topic of ‘Sport and Human Rights.’

"I am very much looking forward to contributing to this important task."

The DOSB Presidium also addressed the issue of sports clubs during the energy crisis, with Weikert saying "sports halls and swimming pools must be kept open for as long as possible."

Weikert added: "Sport is much more than just a leisure activity, it is an indispensable part of social services of general interest and fulfils important social and health-promoting functions for society.

"Against this background, we welcome the decision of the Conference of Sports Ministers to support organised sport in overcoming the energy crisis."

Looking forward to its next General Assembly, due to be held in Baden-Baden on December 3, the DOSB said its Presidium would meet monthly in the build-up.

The deadline for candidates to submit their nominations for the Presidium is October 29, with candidates this year invited to sign a self-declaration where they commit to following the values and goals that are within the DOSB’s statutes.

"We want to send a clear signal for the integrity and credibility of the sport and the association," said Weikert.

"In addition, the new version of the statutes from last year requires such a step."

The DOSB is set to publish a list of Presidium candidates three weeks before the election.

The next meeting of the DOSB Presidium is due to take place on September 23 in Magdeburg.

Former International Table Tennis Federation President Weikert was elected as the President of the DOSB in December 2021, in place of Alfons Hörmann, who stepped down after eight years at the helm of the organisation.

Hörmann resigned in June 2021, a month after an anonymous letter was sent to DOSB officials, claiming there was a "culture of fear" within the organisation under Hörmann’s leadership, and that some staff had been brought "mentally and psychologically over the limits of what they could take."

Allegations were also made that objects were thrown at employees, while Hörmann was criticised for having allegedly not worn a mask at meetings in breach of COVID-19 rules.