Procedure under Article 108 (3) of the Treaty will be set in motion by the Commission.

Procedure under Article 108 (3) of the Treaty will be set in motion by the Commission.

The Sportforum Berlin, the second-largest sports facility in the capital and an important centre for Berlin and East German high-performance sports, is set for a significant transformation. The modernization of this facility will take place in a two-stage process, aiming to improve outdated facilities and infrastructure, and redesign it to become a sustainable, national high-performance sports centre.

The Berlin Senate has agreed to invest approximately four million euros in the coming years towards this modernization. The redesigned Sportforum Berlin will feature a future vision, with further images available online. [Visualization link not provided]

Besides the Olympic Park, the Sportforum Berlin covers approximately 45 hectares and contains about 35 sports facilities for both high-performance and recreational sports. The club, BFC Dynamo, plays its home games in the Stadion im Sportforum Berlin, which is in need of renovation and does not currently meet the requirements for a stadium in the 3rd Bundesliga.

The modernization of the BFC Dynamo stadium is now included in the Sportforum Berlin project. However, the new construction of a third-division suitable stadium for BFC Dynamo was not explicitly included in the original renovation planning due to prior planning focus and budget allocations. This addition has been made retroactively following political decisions and coalition agreements addressing the club's needs for modern facilities at the Sportforum site.

The BFC Dynamo, known for its commitment to solid and secure positioning for the future and maintaining competitiveness, narrowly missed out on promotion to the third league in the promotion play-offs against VfB Oldenburg last year. The club is planning to build a third-division-worthy stadium at the Sportforum Berlin in Alt-Hohenschoenhausen, with the stadium remaining on the Sportforum Berlin site, and a suitable stadium provided if the club is promoted to the third league.

Martin Pätzold, the Lichtenberg CDU representative, emphasizes the importance of BFC Dynamo to the region's identity and youth work. The modernization of the Sportforum Berlin is good news for fans and club representatives of BFC Dynamo. However, in the current season, the team from Hohenschoenhausen will not be able to intervene in the promotion race.

The Berlin Senate Administration aims to aesthetically enhance the entire area of the Sportforum Berlin. The redesigned Sportforum Berlin will be a beacon of sporting excellence and sustainability, contributing to Berlin's ongoing success in sports.