Honorary citizenship for Professor Reiner Hildebrandt-Stramann

In recognition of his services to the academic development of the Federal University of Santa Maria in Brazil and to the development of school sport in that South American country, Professor Reiner Hildebrandt-Stramann (retired) was awarded honorary citizenship of the city of Santa Maria. The ceremony on 16 October 2026, which concluded with an entry in the city’s ‘Golden Book’, was attended by the university president and the entire municipal council of Santa Maria.

From left: Prof. Dr. Frederico Diniz Lima (Head of the Institute of Sports Science at the Federal University of Santa Maria), Prof. Dr. Marli Hatje (Head of the Department of International Relations at the Institute of Sports Science, Federal University of Santa Maria), Prof. Dr. Martha Bohrer (Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Santa Maria), Prof. Dr. Reiner Hildebrandt-Stramann (ret.) Institute of Sports Science and Physical Education at TU Braunschweig, and Prof. Dr. Luiz Fernando Cuozzo Lemos (Professor at the Institute of Sports Science at the Federal University of Santa Maria and Deputy Mayor of Santa Maria).

Since 1983, there has been international cooperation between the Institute of Sports Science and Physical Education at Technische Universität Braunschweig and the Federal University of Santa Maria in the fields of sports education, sports didactics and school sport. With the support of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Professor Hildebrandt-Stramann held a visiting professorship at the Federal University of Santa Maria (Universidade Federal de Santa Maria) from 1983 to 1987, a collaboration which he has continuously expanded and developed to this day. For instance, he advised on the establishment of Brazil’s first Master’s degree programme in sports pedagogy/sports didactics, which served as a model for countless other Brazilian universities. He also contributed to the redesign of curricula for the training of sports teachers.

In recognition of his commitment to development cooperation with Brazilian universities, Professor Reiner Hildebrandt was awarded an honorary professorship by the Federal University of Salvador in 2012; in 2024, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Federal University of Santa Maria.

In 2024, the cooperation agreement between TU Braunschweig and the Federal University of Santa Maria was also renewed. Professor Esther Serwe Pandrick and Professor Peter Düking from the Institute of Sports Science and Physical Education will continue the close cooperation between the two institutions.