German men's coach Markus Weise was presented as the Coach of the Year 2011 on Sunday night by DOSB President and IOC Member Thomas Bach in Baden-Baden. The award is presented every year by the German Olympic Sports Confederation, and for the first time this year, the announcement of the winners took place on the TV show Sport of the Year. The German men's hockey team finished fifth in the category Team of the Year, with football national champions Borussia Dortmund taking the top honors.
The distinction for Markus Weise, who celebrates his 49th birthday today Monday, is not only based on taking the gold and European Champions title at the GANT EuroHockey Nations Championships last August in Mönchengladbach, but also recognizes the unique feat of winning Olympic gold with both the German women (2004) and the German men (2008).
The laudators for Markus Weise were the two captains of the Olympic gold medal winning teams, Marion Rodewald and Max Müller, who in their speech highlighted Weise's special sense for the dynamics within the group and his steadfast insistence on each player's individual responsibility within the compound of the team.
DHB President Stephan Abel said, "We are pleased for Markus Weise for this award. He absolutely deserves it in recognition of the successes he has had with the national teams over the last few years. At the same time, this honor is also a recognition for the good work with coaches and coaching education which DHB has emphasized over the past decades, which Paul Lissek and Bernhard Peters represented as much as Markus Weise does today."
Source: News Release DHB (German Hockey Association)
