Former military sports school still on track after 75 years

It’s the 75th birthday of the Federal Sports School in Magglingen, high above Lake Biel, where countless Swiss sports talents have been forged into champions. But in 1942 the Federal Council were after a slightly different goal when they founded the Swiss Federal Gymnastics and Sports School: to make young Swiss men fit for military service by providing a so-called foundation course.  In the same year, the government also passed a resolution to this effect, after which it took some time to determine the structure of the training and the location of the school. In 1944, the school was officially founded.  And today, the sports school at Magglingen produces a range of high-achieving athletes, far from its army beginnings. Both the Federal Office for Sport and the Federal Sports School overlook the magnificent vista of Lake Biel and its surrounding landscape, 900 metres above the city of Biel. The clean air is perfect for practising various sporting disciplines and (maybe) …