Students struggle without a sports hall: Max Planck High School in a state of emergency!

Students struggle without a sports hall: Max Planck High School in a state of emergency!

In Munich Pasing, the sports hall of the Max-Planck-Gymnasium (MPG) unfortunately remains closed. The school management has to contend with significant restrictions in physical education classes that have lasted for over a year. The reason for this misery is water damage that occurred in August 2024 after a violent storm. Loud tz.de Since then, the 1,200 students at the MPG have had to contend with massive disruptions.

The city of Munich had originally promised to complete the repairs by the start of the 2025/26 school year on September 16, 2025. Unfortunately, this date was postponed due to further water damage that occurred in late July 2025 due to drainage issues. The headmaster Ulrich Ebert and sports supervisor Niclas Dingerkus expressed their incomprehension about the long duration of the work; The sports hall currently looks the same as it did in autumn 2024.

The consequences of the closure

The consequences cannot be overlooked: many physical education lessons are canceled and the lessons have to take place improvised outdoors, in the break hall or in an empty classroom. “Switching to such alternatives is not an adequate solution,” complains Ebert. The situation in the MPG is symptomatic of the general challenges that school sport faces in Germany sportschau.de reported.

The problem is not just local: in many other cities, dilapidated sports facilities and a lack of staff are also the main reasons for the thinning out of physical education classes. From the 2026/27 school year, school sports should play a central role in the all-day program, but the course for this has not yet been set correctly.

Political reactions and future prospects

In a letter, the Pasing-Obermenzing district committee calls for the damage to be repaired quickly and for improved communication between the affected schools and the building department. These demands take on additional importance because other schools and clubs also rely on the use of the sports hall. The Fischer-von-Erlach sports hall has also been closed since August 2024 due to water damage, which further aggravates the situation merkur.de is reported.

The difficulties are not alleviated by the announcement of the addition of a new building to the MPG, which is scheduled to be completed by 2028. At least as an interim solution, a four-story pavilion will be built, which should be ready for occupancy from February 2026. Whether this can alleviate the current challenges in physical education remains to be seen.

Ultimately, the situation in Pasing makes it clear that school sport in Germany is facing major challenges that require political action and creative solutions. At the same time, the municipality must find a solution to ensure that the sports hall can be reopened as soon as possible in order to enable the students to engage in the necessary sporting activities.