Chemnitz also enjoys worldwide fame as the home of many renowned sportsmen and sportswomen. Katarina Witt, Michael Ballack, Matthias Steiner, Gaby Seyfert, Jan Hoffmann, the figure skaters Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy, shot-putter David Storl, discus thrower Lars Riedel, the swimmer Stev Theloke and the track cyclists Stefan Bötticher, Joachim Eilers and Max Niederlag, plus Michael Hübner and Jens Fiedler, the gymnasts Pauline Schäfer, Sophie Scheder, and Andreas Bretschneider, and last but not least the athletes Kristin Gierisch and Max Heß are all amongst the many excellent sportsmen and sportswomen who have won titles and medals in international arenas.

In Chemnitz, competitive sport is not only founded in a long tradition, but also in wide participation at a grass-roots level. Chemnitz sports clubs and associations have more than 35,000 members, including around 12,000 children and young people. Chemnitz residents can pursue their sporting ambitions in 223 sports clubs and associations. They can currently choose from 80 different sports, ranging from American football to water polo.