Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community (BMI) worked together with the DOSB to develop the scheme, called the International Leadership Programme (LEAP).

A total of 15 volunteers and employees from sporting organisations in Germany came together in the House of German Sports last week to celebrate the launch of the programme.

Among the participants was three-time Olympic Alpine skiing medallist Martina Ertl, former hockey player Marion Rodewald - who claimed gold at Athens 2004 - and three-time Olympian Lenka Dienstbach-Wech, who is a member of the World Rowing Council.

LEAP features four modules, including one based in Lausanne in Switzerland and another in Belgian capital Brussels, with the aim of teaching presentation skills, campaign work and international sports policy.

"LEAP is a great opportunity to network and gain new skills for international tasks," said Ertl.

"We learn from a very experienced coach and the atmosphere in the group is simply good.

"I am happy to be part of LEAP and am already looking forward to the further modules."

LEAP is part of DOSB’s "National Strategy for Major Sports Events" which was adopted last year with the aim of strengthening Germany’s "international sports network".

DOSB President Thomas Weikert, who was the head of the International Table Tennis Federation between 2014 and 2021, said LEAP was an "important step" to increasing the number of German representatives internationally.

"From my time as ITTF President, I can say that working on the international stage is a lot of fun, but also very challenging is, so good preparation is essential," Weikert said.

"I am all the more pleased that we have launched the LEAP program together with the BMI.

"It is a unique course with which we want to give the participants essential knowledge for the international stage."