The most important national tournament takes place in Chemnitz

Thomas Neubert

"It's the most important national tournament on the table tennis scene," says Thomas Neubert, describing the significance of the event. And it is being held in Chemnitz for the second time since 2007. We are talking about the National German Table Tennis Championships. From 6 to 8 March, the best German players will duel it out in the arena at Messe Chemnitz. The two stars - Timo Boll and Dimitrij Ovtcharov - will of course be there.
One man who prefers to be in the background, but without whom this major event would not be possible, is the organiser Thomas Neubert, from the table tennis department of BSC Rapid Chemnitz. Together with 80 volunteers, he will ensure that everything runs smoothly over the three days. But the preparations in the run-up to the event are far more extensive.

When did you decide to organise the National German Championships in Chemnitz again?
Thomas Neubert: The idea had been in our heads for a long time. In 2010 or 2011, we applied to host the event again. We wanted to organise it for the 100th anniversary of BSC Rapid Chemnitz in 2012. But unfortunately the contract was awarded to someone else - Berlin with the Velodrom. In summer 2013, the table tennis federation looked at our hall and declared it suitable. We were finally awarded the contract in January last year.

In 2007, the German table tennis elite were still competing in the Richard Hartmann Hall. However, the regulations and requirements have changed. "We need 3,500 seats, rooms for doping control, massage and press rooms, player areas, at least 100 VIP seats and so on," reports Thomas Neubert. These conditions were found in the arena at the Chemnitz Exhibition Centre.

Is there no fear that the arena is too big for the number of spectators?
At the last event in 2007, around 5,000 spectators came to the arena over the three days of the competition. We want to match this figure and are very positive about it. We have been able to sell around 2,500 tickets in advance.

Are you surprised by the popularity? Chemnitz is not known as a table tennis stronghold.
The opposite is the case. There is a high density of players in Chemnitz and the surrounding area. We have around 140 clubs in the area. In the Chemnitz city association alone, there are almost 1,000 members organised in table tennis clubs.

In the past 15 years, only three East German cities have organised this tournament: Magdeburg in 2000, Cottbus in 2004, Chemnitz in 2007 and this year. Does nobody in the East dare to organise this event?
It's a huge undertaking and you first have to find a few crazy people to take part. I can see it myself: it's a full-time job and almost impossible to do on a voluntary basis. And that's despite our experience eight years ago. Every page has to be touched again. Even if it's "only" to change the date.

Since 1 January 2015, the 45-year-old's daily routine has been dominated by his job and hosting the German Championships. Fortunately, there have been no moments of doubt: "So far, I've always managed somehow," he says modestly. In addition to his work as an organiser, he can also be found training children twice a week in the hall on Irkutzker Straße. An affair of the heart, if you listen to him. "My wife and I built up the club."

With bruno banani, Ford besico, Braustolz and EDEKA, you were able to gain supporters for the event. Is that a sign that Chemnitz is longing for higher-class table tennis?
(laughs) I would be delighted if that were the case. But it's a sporting highlight in Chemnitz and you can convince one or two people to join in. Of course I'd like to have more, I'm still looking to fill a small gap. But that has become increasingly difficult in the last fortnight.

Unfortunately, the hope of seeing a Chemnitz player at the tournament was dashed at the last minute. "Franziska Lasch was level on points with the top two qualifiers at the Central German Championships. Unfortunately, she didn't make it due to her poorer set record," says her "boss", who still feels sorry for his protégé. "But she's on the list of potential successors. Maybe she'll get in after all. But there is a very small glimmer of hope." The Vice President of BSC Rapid Chemnitz already has a dream final: Boll against Ovtcharov. "This would complete the circle for Thomas Neubert. Because this final already took place in Chemnitz in 2007.

Do you have an overview of where the ticket requests come from?
Generally from all over Germany. In 2007, around 80 per cent of spectators came from Saxony and 20 per cent from the rest of the country.

What would you show the foreign fans in Chemnitz if they asked you?
We are currently in the process of organising small city tours. Not everyone will spend the entire three days in the arena. We want them to get to know the city centre. A lot has happened here since 2007. We also hear that at our other events. When people from out of town come to us every few years and then say: Chemnitz has developed nicely.

Your day-to-day business in sport is your club work at BSC Rapid Chemnitz. What's it like there?
After five years in the second division, our top-class women's team is now chasing points in the third division. The third division was newly founded and is almost at the same level as the second. We also travel halfway across the country. Apart from that, we can look back on a successful club structure in the table tennis department: we started 25 years ago with twenty people and one schoolboy and one men's team. We now have over ten teams and 120 members. We've already talked about our youth work.

Do you get anything out of the German championships financially?
Not at the moment. We rely on the spectators. There are over 17,000 members in the Saxon Table Tennis Association alone. The place should be packed.

Where do you get the motivation for your involvement in table tennis in addition to your main job?
(Laughs) I hear that a lot. I probably can't say no. Seriously: after 2007, we had a small swing that brought interested people into the hall. It wasn't bad before that, but then the hall was pretty full. And that has lasted until now. We are probably one of the few clubs that doesn't have any problems with new blood. There are between 30 and 40 athletes at the children's training sessions.

Back to the German Championships: Do crazy stories like organising the event define the character of Chemnitz?
You probably have to be a bit crazy (laughs). I can't really judge that for myself. Others have to do that.

Without a doubt: Thomas Neubert is positively crazy. In addition to his main job, two children, family, President of the Saxon Table Tennis Association, Vice President of BSC Rapid Chemnitz, children's coach and President of the Association for the Promotion of Table Tennis in Chemnitz, organising an event like this shows great courage and passion. He only started playing table tennis late in life, at the age of 16. "I was looking for an alternative to football." An alternative turned into a love affair. Fortunately for the club and the city.

Our standard question: Do you have to encourage the people of Chemnitz?
It's mixed. Some people always criticise the city and others say that everything has developed really well. And the buildings and museums that have been built are remarkable.