Twice-Olympic champion in canoeing, Ronald “Ronny” Rauhe, has been appointed as the State Minister for Volunteering and Sports within the Federal Chancellery. Our editorial team has learned this information from informed circles.
Rauhe is 44 years old. He recently met with Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) following a cabinet meeting in Neuhardenberg; sources indicate the discussion was satisfactory for both parties. The two had encountered each other previously, for instance, in January at the Federal Chancellery during the awarding of the “Silver Bay Leaf” sports prize.
Rauhe also frequently serves as a keynote speaker, sharing his experiences from over 25 years of high-performance athletics, including a recent appearance at the Ministry of Economics’ open-house event for the government.
His prior political involvement includes a time when he reportedly stood as a candidate for the SPD in a Brandenburg state election, though it did not appear to be successful. He himself noted this in a newspaper interview. More recently, he has been active in advocating for a German Olympic bid and appeared as an expert on ZDF.
The State Minister for Sports position had been vacant after the incumbent, Christiane Schenderlein (CDU), was suddenly reassigned before the summer recess to become a Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Health. Since that time, Merz is said to have dismissed several candidates for the role.
