A jubilee magazine is due to be released in the spring, while a ceremony is scheduled to be held in September.

Since its launch in 1989, almost 10,000 sports clubs and several hundred thousand people, both immigrant and non-immigrant, have received support from the programme throughout Germany and have benefited from the intercultural expertise of its employees.

"The issue of integration is one of the examples in which sport shows that, like few other social actors, it is in a position to organise civic engagement on a large scale and for the benefit of all citizens," Andreas Silbersack, vice-president of mass sports and sports development at the DOSB, said.

"The fact that we are now celebrating the federal programme with 30 years of 'Integration through Sport' is clear proof of the substance of the federal programme and the impact of organised sports."

The DOSB is responsible for "Integration through Sport" conceptually and controls its implementation in the 16 regional sports confederations.

"Integration through Sport" is funded by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community and the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees.

Currently, the funding for programme work amounts to €11.4 million (£9.8 million/$12.9 million) per year.

"Over the past few years, content orientation has continued to develop strategically and the integration work of the participating associations has been systematically supported," a DOSB statement reads.

"The integrative contribution that organised sport can make with its expertise, its network and the voluntary commitment of many people has been impressively demonstrated in recent years by the increased influx of refugees.

"But it also shows the need to face up to intensified discussions about the understanding of immigration and integration in Germany.

"The well-being-oriented sport will make the most of its special birthday in order to pay tribute to its integration achievements with a series of high-profile events, discussion formats and performances, and to give even greater prominence to topics such as identity, culture and migration."

"Integration through Sport" was originally known as "Sport for all - sport for Aussiedler" and sprung from a time of great upheaval, when the Cold War ended and the inner German Wall fell.

It was launched by then Minister of the Interior Wolfgang Schäuble as well as Hans Hansen, President of the German Sports Federation, which merged with the National Olympic Committee of Germany to form the DOSB in May 2006.