TV Wattenscheid 01 Leichtathletik is a German sports club focused on athletics. Founded in 1971 in Wattenscheid, Bochum in the Western part of Germany, the club's history is linked to that of an older club, Turnverein Wattenscheid 01, a gymnastics club in the city which was formed in 1901.[1] The club's main stadium for events and training is Lohrheidestadion.
The athletics section of the club grew in the mid-1960s and received sponsorship from Klaus Steilmann, a local businessman who was involved with textile manufacturing. Shortly after, the team split away from the main club to form a distinct, athletics-specific club.[1] Among the club's first internationally successful athletes was Sabine Braun, who was twice heptathlon world champion.[2] The current chairman of the club is former sprint athlete Jörg Klocke.[3]