He was confirmed in the role at the ADH's General Assembly, which was held virtually for the first time due to the coronavirus crisis.

Sarah Pullich was chosen to take over as chief financial officer with Dirk Kilian, Julia Berschick, Franziska Faas and Joshua Miethke also earning places on the Executive Board.

The next two year term will cover a key period as Germany pursues a bid from Rhein-Ruhr for the 2025 Summer World University Games.

"Since March 2020 we have all been experiencing a changed world," said Förster.  

"The COVID-19 pandemic has posed immense challenges for university sports.

"We will have to deal with its effects for a long time as the pandemic has fundamentally changed university life. 

"We must prepare ourselves to live with severe restrictions on our core task - getting university members moving for even longer."

Officials from the ADH voted in favour of Rhein-Ruhr's candidacy for the 2025 Summer World University Games in November.

They then discussed the bid with the International University Sports Federation (FISU) in March.

If successful, the student event could be a "dress rehearsal" for the 2032 Summer Olympics, for which Germany is a potential candidate.

"The intended application for the 2025 FISU World University Games has opened the doors to decision-makers and has also given us the opportunity to address the other, diverse topics of university sports," Förster added. 

"The newly elected Board will do everything in its power to ensure that the process is continued in an optimal way and to further strengthen university sports through the application process. 

"We would like to take the opportunity to write sports history with our member universities and to positively shape the future of university sports despite all the difficulties."