Culture, leisure and sport
Aiming high
Sporting highlights throughout the year come courtesy of F.C. Hansa Rostock, the basketballers from EBC Rostock with the Rostock Seawolves, and the volleyballers from SV Warnemünde.
Other successful teams include the handballers from HC Empor Rostock, the ice-hockey-playing Piranhas, and the Nasenbären (inline hockey). The city also boasts a long tradition of athletics and short track speed skating.
And how could we forget Rostock’s sailing precinct, with its many competitions and regattas, the most famous of which is the ‘Warnemünder Woche’. Hanse Sail, meanwhile, is one of the world’s largest gatherings of traditional sailors and museum ships. The maritime folk festival is held every year on the second weekend of August.
For joggers, Rostock offers an extensive range of events, most notably the Rostocker Citylauf (city run) in May and the `Hella Marathon Nacht` in August. Both runs feature starters from some 15 nations.
Sporting talent in Olympic and Paralympic sport are trained in 19 different disciplines at the city’s two elite sports academies, the CJD Rostock and the Heinrich Schütz Regional School. The Olympiastützpunkt Mecklenburg-Vorpommern sports complex, meanwhile, is home to the national sports centres for rowing, sailing and diving, as well as the Goalball Paralympics training base.
