Genuine German post WW2 Sports Badge DSB (Deutsches Sportabzeichen) miniature stickpin, IN PERFECT CONDITION, MAKER MARKED: STEINHAUER UND LÜCK / LÜDENSCHEID (ST&L), "GES. GESCH" MARKED (Gesetzlich Geschützt - Legally Protected), A VERY NICE EXAMPLE

HISTORY OF THE AWARD:

The German Sports Badge (German: Deutsches Sportabzeichen) is a decoration of the German Olympic Sports Federation DSB, of the Federal Republic of Germany. It exists in a civilian and military version. The German Sports Badge test is carried primarily in Germany, but any German citizen living abroad may apply to become judges and hold tests on their own, and the decoration can be awarded to any person participating in the test. Some times it is also possible for a non-german foreign citizen to obtain judging-qualifications, if there are no other judges in their local area. This has only been done once, when a Danish firefighter was given judging-powers in 2009, due to the fact that there were no judges at all in Denmark. The German Sports Badge, also known as the "German National Sports Badge" was first created in the year 1912 and is one of the oldest awards of Germany still in active circulation. The Pour le Mérite is another older award which is still issued in Germany, although the criteria for that decoration has changed since its original issuance as a military order. Between 1914 and 1933, the German Sports Badge was issued for the completion of various physical tests by the young male population. As a military award, during the inter-war years of the 1920s and prior to 1933, the German National Sports Badge was one of the few military awards bestowed to the peacetime Reichswehr. Between 1933 and 1939, the German Sports Badge was overshadowed by an almost identical decoration, the SA Sports Badge which was a sports badge issued by the Nazi Party. Even so, the German Sports Badge was still regarded as an important qualification badge, and both the SA Sports Badge and German Sports Badge could both be earned and displayed. The SS considered the German Sports Badge of particular importance and the decoration was one which was commonly listed in SS service records. Notable SS recipients of this award include Reinhard Heydrich and Amon Göth. After World War II, the German Sports Badge was continued as a federal decoration in West Germany and continued in this status after German reunification. Today, the German Sports Badge is both a civilian decoration and a military award of the Bundeswehr.