Sports Forum: Marathon tower and arcades

In addition to an active sports centre, the Walk of Fame of Sport Chemnitz was also created during the refurbishment of the Marathon Tower in the Sportforum in line with its listed status. The city's diverse sporting history is presented in the arcades.

The refurbishment of the building in keeping with its listed status involved a number of changes. Two additional levels have been added to the former four storeys. This resulted in a usable area of 1000 square metres, spread over a total of around forty rooms.

On 17 August 2025, the Chemnitz Sports Walk of Fame was opened during the "Inclusive Wins" family festival. Lord Mayor Sven Schulze and well-known former and current athletes unveiled the newly designed arcades of the main stadium at the Marathon Tower, which tell the history and stories of Chemnitz sport in the permanent exhibition.

Katarina Witt and Anett Pötzsch unveiled the ice sports plaque in the arcades to the left of the Marathon Tower. The football plaque was unveiled by Jürgen Bähringer and Christoph Franke. Joachim Kunz and Ingo Steinhöfel unveiled the heavy athletics plaque. The athletics plaque was unveiled by Christina Schwanitz and Lars Riedel. The Olympic Training Centre plaque was unveiled by Christian Pöhler, Ronny Kaiser and Steffen Großmann.

In the arcades to the right of the marathon tower, the plaque for the Chemnitz City Sports Association and basketball was unveiled by Lord Mayor Sven Schulze and Kevin Yebo. Wolfgang Lötzsch and Lutz Lötzsch unveiled the road cycling plaque. The track cycling plaque was unveiled by Jens Fiedler and Joachim Eilers. Maria Götze-Köhler and Petra Rosenkranz (formerly Thümer) unveiled the swimming plaque. The gymnastics plaque was unveiled by Karina Schönmaier and Pauline Schäfer-Betz.

Previously, the arcades made of Rochlitz porphyry had been extensively renovated. The costs for the arcade presentation totalled 178,000 euros.

On 8 September 2023, the Marathon Tower in the Sportforum was ceremoniously opened after extensive refurbishment. Mayor Dagmar Ruscheinsky and Mayor Michael Stötzer handed over the symbolic key to Christian Pöhler, Head of the Saxony Olympic Training Centre.

In addition to the Olympic training centre, a sports doctor and a performance diagnostics centre will have a new home in the basement of the building. The centrepiece of the tower is the prestigious reception hall in the middle of the building. In future, successful athletes can be welcomed in this ambience, under the restored, listed wooden ceiling.

Work on the 27-metre-high marathon tower in the Sportforum began in July 2020. The renovation was a major challenge. The roof of the tower had to be removed and an inner steel skeleton installed step by step.

An eight-metre-high earth wall was erected behind the newly constructed functional buildings. This preserves the historical appearance of the main stadium. It also protects the athletes from the wind during competitions.

The scaffolding on the Marathon Tower at the Chemnitz Sports Forum was removed in September 2022. Building Mayor Michael Stötzer and site manager Andreas Hüppe from the City of Chemnitz's building management and structural engineering department explained the status of the work during a short tour of the tower's interior.

Work on the 27-metre-high Marathon Tower in the Sportforum began in July 2020. At the end of 2022, the upper section was handed over to the office of the Chemnitz/Dresden Olympic Training Centre, while a sports doctor and a performance diagnostics centre will also be housed in the basement of the building.

One particular challenge was that the roof of the tower had to be removed in order to install an internal steel skeleton.

An eight metre high earth wall was built behind the functional buildings to the left and right of the tower. This is intended to preserve the old look of the main stadium. The wall is also intended to protect the athletes from the wind during competitions.