Interview with Jochen Mavius, 56 years old, site manager in a dismantling project, with NUKEM since 2018
Mr Mavius, you have already taken part in the Atomiade several times. Could you explain to us briefly - what is it exactly?
The Atomiade is a sports event organized by the European research facilities. You could say these are the Olympic games of the nuclear research institutions. The big Summer Atomiade in which I participated takes place every three years in a different European country. Besides this, there are also the Winter Atomiade and the Mini-Atomiade, which take place in between the major events. I have already taken part in five different events: 2006 in Sopron, Hungary, 2009 in Berlin, 2012 in Paris, 2015 in Belgium and 2018 on Lago Maggiore in Italy. I believe 3000 athletes took part in the latest one.
The origins of the Atomiade date back to a football tournament between German nuclear research centres in 1966. In 1973 nine other sports disciplines were added to the tournament. Athletes from five different countries took part in it. Today, the host of the Atomiade - ASCERI (Association of the Sports Communities of the European Research Institutes) – counts 42 research institutes from 16 European countries as its members.
In which sport did you compete?
At the first three events I ran a half marathon; as of 2015 I have been participating in the triathlon – it had not been included in the program until then. The number of sports disciplines has been growing over the years. I have always wanted to do the triathlon. During the first years, I therefore also did the 10 km run if I could fit it in timewise. The Atomiade takes place on extended weekends, so that the time is always limited. Everyone arrives on Thursday, and the competitions take place Friday through Sunday.
What makes the Atomiade so special for you?
You get to meet a lot of very interesting people from different countries, and later you see them over and over again. I have been working in the nuclear field for 35 years. The nuclear community is like a big family – everyone keeps running into each other. Thanks to a number of different positions I have held at various research centers and companies in the nuclear sector and to these sports events, I have acquired a broad network of contacts. So networking is also a valuable side benefit. Combining career and sports is helpful in any case.
Have you already been on the podium?
I have climbed the podium many times. For example, I won the half marathon in my age group in Berlin. I ranked second in the most recent triathlon at Lago Maggiore – it was very close, I was just 30 seconds behind. But I was okay with that. Sometimes I manage to finish among the first three even in ‘regular’ races, i.e. apart from the Atomiade. I have run about 100 marathons. It helps me to recover my inner balance.
NUKEM Technologies in Karlstein am Main, Germany, is world-wide active in the areas of management of radioactive waste and spent fuel, decommissioning of nuclear facilities, engineering and consulting. For more than 60 years NUKEM Technologies provides high quality products, technologies and services, where Innovation, Solutions and Excellence are closely linked.
Contact:
Yvonne Amend
NUKEM Technologies Engineering Services GmbH
Zeche Gustav 6, 63791 Karlstein am Main
Tel: +49 6023 91-1321,
E-mail:
www.nukemtechnologies.de
