King Arthur Abraham welcomed a special guest on Monday when German Chancellor Angela Merkel stopped by to visit the renowned training facilities in Kienbaum. Hundreds of world-class athletes, including dozens of Olympic gold medal winners and world champions, use the sports center each year to prepare for their events. Team Sauerland also stages its training camps in Kienbaum, which is located 20 miles east of Berlin. Ulli Wegner and his fighters will return on July 28, moving camp from the Max-Schmeling-Gym to the sports center.

Merkel, who honored Kienbaum with a special award, enjoyed meeting Germany´s top athletes. King Arthur even had a special present for the Chancellor. “I gave her a pair of mini gloves, which she promised to keep in a very special place inside her office,” King Arthur said. “I hope the gloves bring her luck – in politics, you sometimes have to box your way through. It was a great honour to meet the Chancellor. We spoke about a lot of interesting things.”