SPORTUNION Austria

SPORTUNION (officially Österreichische Turn- und Sport-Union, originally founded as OTuSU) is one of the three umbrella sports federations of Austria, alongside ASKÖ and ASVÖ. It was founded on 2 May 1945 in Vienna's Schottenstift by Heinz Clabian, Josef Wicke, Hans Fuchs and Franz X. Gfatter, building on a Christian-oriented gymnastics tradition that reaches back to the Christlich-Deutscher Turnerbund of 1900 and the Christlich-Deutsche Turnerschaft Österreich (CDTÖ) of 1914/1921. Its stated purpose at founding was to create a party-politically independent federation uniting gymnastics and sport on the basis of Christian values. As a broad-based sports organisation, SPORTUNION describes itself as a pillar of Austrian sport. According to its own figures (as of 1 January 2026), it represents roughly 731,000 members organised in about 4,750 clubs, supported by more than 50,000 volunteer officials working as instructors, trainers and coaches. Its programme spans more than 200 different sports, from mass participation and fitness to competitive and high-performance sport. The federation's motto is "Wir bewegen Menschen" ("We move people"). SPORTUNION is structured as a registered association (Verein) and is a member of the Austrian Federal Sports Organisation (Österreichische Bundes-Sportorganisation). It operates through autonomous regional associations in all nine Austrian federal provinces, with headquarters in Vienna. Its core service role is to support its member clubs with legal, tax and administrative advice, sports participation programmes and project initiatives. It also runs national campaigns and events, such as its participation in the "Tag des Sports" on Vienna's Heldenplatz, the SPORTUNION Virtual New Years Run in cooperation with Wings for Life, and involvement in the ORF initiative "WIR BEWEGEN ÖSTERREICH". Internationally, SPORTUNION has historic ties to Catholic sports federations: Austria joined the UIOCEP in 1929 and took its place in the successor FICEP in 1947, hosting European games and holding FICEP presidencies and secretariat roles. The organisation advocates clean sport and anti-doping and emphasises inclusion, integration and lifelong physical activity.

SPORTUNION's roots lie in the Christian-oriented gymnastics movement of the late Habsburg era. Influenced by the German Turnen tradition of Jahn and the pedagogy of Pestalozzi, local shooting and gymnastics societies emerged from Catholic artisan confraternities in the mid-19th century, later expanding into hiking, football and cycling. In 1900 the first Christlich-Deutscher Turnerbund was founded in Vienna, and in 1914 the Christlich-Deutsche Turnerschaft Österreich (CDTÖ) was established as a federation. After World War I, the CDTÖ was re-founded in 1921 under chairman Dr. Josef Pultar, who would later become the first chairman of SPORTUNION in 1945. The organisation was dissolved immediately after Austria's Anschluss in 1938. On 2 May 1945, with the war ending, the Österreichische Turn- und Sport-Union (OTuSU) was founded in Vienna's Schottenstift by Heinz Clabian, Josef Wicke, Hans Fuchs and Franz X. Gfatter. The aim was to create a party-politically independent federation uniting gymnastics and sport on the basis of Christian values. With support from the ÖVP, a federation headquarters was set up at Falkestraße 3 in Vienna, and regional associations were quickly established: Vienna (2 May 1945), Lower Austria (21 June 1945), Upper Austria (23 September 1945) and Salzburg (14 October 1945). In the post-war decades, SPORTUNION grew into one of the three pillars of Austrian sport, alongside ASKÖ and ASVÖ. It expanded across all nine federal provinces, each with decision-making autonomy, and broadened its activities from gymnastics to a wide range of sports, with particular emphasis on fitness and health. By 1 January 2019 it reported more than 921,000 members in around 4,370 clubs; by 1 January 2026 its own figures stood at roughly 731,000 members in about 4,750 clubs, reflecting changes in reporting and membership. Internationally, Austria joined the Union internationale des œuvres catholiques d'éducation physique (UIOCEP) in 1929, two years after the German DJK. After World War II it took its place in the successor Fédération internationale catholique d'éducation physique et sportive (FICEP) in 1947, hosted FICEP European games several times, held the FICEP presidency from 1975 to 1991 under Josef Finder, and provided the general secretariat from 2003 to 2011. Since 2011 the administrative secretariat has been entrusted to a SPORTUNION employee, and Gerhard Hauer, FICEP president since 2011, is a member of the organisation. In the 2020s SPORTUNION continues to position itself as a modern service provider for clubs, running campaigns such as the Tag des Sports, the Virtual New Years Run with Wings for Life, and the ORF initiative WIR BEWEGEN ÖSTERREICH, while advocating clean sport and anti-doping.

• 2026

  Reported roughly 731,000 members in about 4,750 clubs (as of 1 January 2026)

• 2019

  Reported more than 921,000 members in around 4,370 clubs (as of 1 January 2019)

• 2011

  Gerhard Hauer becomes FICEP president; administrative secretariat entrusted to a SPORTUNION employee

• 2003

  SPORTUNION provides FICEP general secretariat (until 2011)

• 1975

  Josef Finder begins FICEP presidency (until 1991)

• 1947

  Austria takes its place in the successor FICEP

• 1945

  Founding of the Österreichische Turn- und Sport-Union (OTuSU) on 2 May in Vienna's Schottenstift

• 1945

  Establishment of regional associations in Vienna, Lower Austria, Upper Austria and Salzburg

• 1938

  CDTÖ dissolved immediately after the Anschluss

• 1929

  Austria joins the UIOCEP

• 1921

  Re-founding of the CDTÖ after World War I under Dr. Josef Pultar

• 1914

  Founding of the Christlich-Deutsche Turnerschaft Österreich (CDTÖ)

• 1900

  Founding of the first Christlich-Deutscher Turnerbund in Vienna

Broad-based, values-driven national sports umbrella federation focused on lifelong movement, inclusion and club support.

• Club service and advisory

  Legal, tax and administrative support for member clubs

• Sports participation programmes

  Programmes promoting sport and movement across society

• Volunteer training

  Training for instructors, trainers and coaches

• Tag des Sports

  Annual public sports festival on Vienna's Heldenplatz

• SPORTUNION Virtual New Years Run

  Virtual run in cooperation with Wings for Life

1. 1Startseite - SPORTUNION Österreichsportunion.at
2. 2Geschichte der SPORTUNION - SPORTUNION Österreichsportunion.at
3. 3Über uns - SPORTUNION Österreichsportunion.at
4. 4Leitbild - SPORTUNION Österreichsportunion.at
5. 5Sportunionwikidata.org
6. 6Sportunionfr.wikipedia.org