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Daimler 360 GRAD - FAKTEN zur Nachhaltigkeit 2008
Daimler Nachhaltigkeitsbericht 2008 / Customers and society / Social commitment / Social and cultural projects*
Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele/Internationale Festspiele Baden-Württemberg
The Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, one of oldest music and theater festivals in the German-speaking world,
celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2007. Daimler will again serve as one of the main sponsors of the event in
2008. Daimler’s longstanding support for the Schlossfestspiele demonstrates its very close ties to the Stuttgart
region and its cultural identity. The Group sponsors selected performances and concerts, which in 2008 will
consist of events taking place from April 4-13, May 30-July 27, and November 22-30. As an official state festival,
the Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele cooperates with many other international festivals and thus represents the
cultural richness of the German state of Baden-Württemberg.
to promote sports and physical fitness
Soccer Integration Award from Mercedes-Benz and the German Soccer Association (DFB)
“Soccer: Many Cultures — but a Single Passion” is the motto of the Soccer Integration Award established in June
2007 by the German Soccer Association (DFB) and DFB general sponsor Mercedes-Benz. The initiative
associated with the award seeks to support projects and activities that use soccer to reach out to children and
teenagers (especially girls) in an effort to promote cultural integration. The initiative was launched during the
European Championship qualification match between Germany and San Marino on June 1, 2007. A total of 181
schools and soccer clubs had entered the competition for the award by September 2007. In December, a DFB
panel selected the winners in the two categories of Soccer Clubs and Schools, and also presented special
awards for soccer associations and cultural integration initiatives beyond the world of organized soccer.
The first place finishers in each category received a Mercedes-Benz Vito van, which will be used to help safely
and comfortably transport children and teenagers to events and tournaments. Second place finishers were each
awarded €10,000 to further their work in the area of integration, and those who finished third were given €5,000
for the same purpose.
The awards were presented at the Sindelfingen Glaspalast (Glass Palace) on January 4, 2008, during the
Mercedes-Benz Junior Cup soccer tournament. The tournament featured the junior squads from international top
clubs such as Dinamo Zagreb, AS Monaco, FC Basel, Fenerbahce Istanbul, and the under-19 team from 2010
World Cup host South Africa. These teams competed alongside junior German teams from Hertha BSC Berlin,
Schalke 04, VfB Stuttgart, and others. The Mercedes-Benz Junior Cup event also included a tournament featuring
ten Daimler trainee teams.
IOC partnership: Global social commitment within the Olympic framework
For 12 years now, Daimler has served as the only commercial partner to the International Olympic Committee’s
(IOC) “Olympic Solidarity” development program. The relationship between Daimler and the IOC goes far beyond
sponsorship here, as both view their cooperation as one element of a strategic partnership. That’s because
Daimler, which does business in around 200 countries, and the IOC, which is the world’s leading athletic
organization, share common ideals regarding fair and open competition, international dialog, social responsibility,
peaceful coexistence, outstanding athletic performance, enthusiasm, and discipline.
Cooperation between the IOC and Daimler takes many forms. For example, Daimler works with the IOC to
support physical fitness among children and adolescents in poor regions around the globe that have little or no
athletic infrastructure, few training facilities, and no money to promote young athletes. Since 1998, financial
support from Daimler has helped build more than 50 athletic and educational facilities, most of them in Africa,
Asia, and Oceania.