Sports and Recreation in Berlin

Berlin is one of the favorite tourist destinations of the world. The city of Berlin is the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany. The city of Berlin offers numerous options for one's entertainment. One of the popular modes of entertainment is sports. There are ample scopes for sports and recreation in Berlin. Sports are considered to be the most important activity that helps in creating the character of the country by improving the physical and mental abilities of the youth and injecting an invaluable dose of high morality and spirit.

Berlin has been host to many of the premier sports events of the world. In the year 1936, Berlin was host to the Olympics. Then again in 2006, the city of Berlin was host to the FIFA World Cup Final. In athletics, Berlin hosts the annual Golden League event ISTAF and the annual Berlin Marathon. Each year, the Qatar Total German Open organized by the WTA Tour is also held in Berlin. This tennis tournament, founded in 1896, is one of the oldest tournaments for women. The annual beach volleyball Grand Slam tournament is also held near Alexanderplatz in Berlin in the form of FIVB World Tour.

Football is one of the favorite sports in Berlin. The city is home to Hertha BSC Berlin which is a football team that participates in the Bundesliga. Then there is the famous basketball team ALBA Berlin which is better known as the Berlin Albatrosses. They have been the defending national champions every year from 1997 to 2003. Then there are the football team of Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe and the German Ice Hockey League team Eisbären Berlin.