Partnerships

Since October 2006, Telekom has been committed to disability sports. To support this work, the Bonn-based Group entered into a partnership with the German Disabled Sports Association (DBS).

Telekom’s commitment focuses on supporting Team Deutschland Paralympics. Through this commitment, Telekom helps safeguard and advance disability sports in Germany. A key priority for Telekom is to keep improving the conditions for sports for people with disabilities in Germany and to establish these sports as an equal part of society. Supporting elite sports and Paralympic athletes plays an important role in this. This support helps raise public awareness of people with disabilities and the everyday challenges they face over the long term.

"We see athletes as role models whom we are pleased to support over the long term," says Henning Stiegenroth, Head of Sports and Sponsorship at Deutsche Telekom.  "Telekom is committed to inclusion in sports and society. It is part of who we are. Our public commitment aims to bring inclusion, diversity, equality, fairness, and tolerance to the forefront of public awareness. We do this, for example, by presenting sports sponsorship and our social responsibility together."

In 2008, the Blind Football Bundesliga (DBFL) founded the Sepp Herberger Foundation together with the German Disabled Sports Association and the German Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Since 2011, the DBFL has held some of its matchdays as a city tour. This gives a broad audience the opportunity to see the outstanding performances people with disabilities can achieve. In blind football, players use a special ball with rattles built in. This allows players to hear where the ball is at any given moment.

Deutsche Telekom has been a partner of the Sepp Herberger Foundation since 2017. Alongside the related financial support for league operations, Telekom incorporates its event format, "Neue Sporterfahrung", into the blind soccer match environment.

As part of this format, sighted players can use special equipment to learn about the challenges blind soccer players face and the specific techniques they use to meet them. Participants gain a new sports experience in the truest sense of the word, completing challenging exercises with, among others, an active blind soccer player. In addition, "Neue Sporterfahrung" is an important platform where visually impaired and sighted athletes can connect inclusively.

SK Gaming

SK Gaming is one of Germany's best-known and longest-established eSports organizations. Founded in 1997, SK Gaming competes internationally in games such as League of Legends, Brawl Stars, Clash Royale, and Valorant.
SK Gaming stands for athletic success, innovation, and a strong community. The organization is among the pioneers of the European eSports scene.

Since mid-2018, Telekom has been SK Gaming's main sponsor and technology partner, equipping the SK Magenta Facility in Cologne with high-capacity fiber-optic lines.
With the Magenta eTrophy, Telekom and SK Gaming have established an eSports event series that brings eSports professionals and the community together.

Equal eSports Initiative

With the Equal eSports Initiative, Telekom aims to help foster greater diversity and equal opportunity in the eSports community. Since 2021, it has given players, regardless of their background, culture, or social status, the opportunity to pursue their passion. The initiative is also active beyond the support program: The Equal eSports Cup was launched as the first and largest League of Legends tournament for women and nonbinary players in the DACH region.

Learn more about the initiative at www.equal-esports.com.