One of the major reasons why Germany did so poorly at the Paris Olympics is a row over funding.

Most elite German athletes receive financial support from the Deutsche Sporthilfe foundation. The non-profit organization supports around 4,000 athletes each year, depending on their performance, status and potential. On average, it pays out between €300 ($331) and €800 ($882) to an athlete monthly, but only to athletes competing in Olympic and Paralympic sports who are currently nominated for a national team, and selected athletes from non-Olympic sports.

For years, the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) alone decided where the approved funding for elite sport would go. This changed in 2016 when the "Potential Analysis System" was introduced. This links the funding of individual sports to their assumed prospects of success.

This was meant to ensure consistent top-5 placings in the Summer Olympics medal table in the long term. Meanwhile, a planned independent sports agency, which would unite the management and financial support of elite sport under one roof has sparked a power struggle between the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) and the Interior Ministry, which is responsible for sport.

The idea is for committees including representatives of the federal and state governments as well as sports organizations to decide independently on the distribution of funding. However, the federal Interior Ministry insists on having the final say on funding – as the revenue comes from the taxpayers. The DOSB has criticized this as "shackles imposed by the federal government."

It is simply impossible for an athlete to live on what they get from the........

© Deutsche Welle