The German Sportspersonality of the Year is chosen annually since 1947, for both men and women. The recordholder is tennis player Steffi Graf (five awards). Swimmer Michael Groß, tennis player Boris Becker, and high jumper Ulrike Meyfarth each have four awards. Since 1957 the sport journalists also elect Germany's Sportsteam of the Year.
In East Germany (GDR) there was also an annual election for the Best Sportsman- and Woman of the Year, from 1953 to 1989, chosen by the readers of the daily newspaper Junge Welt. Since 1990, after reunification, both elections merged into one annual award.
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