Johannes Tartarotti: Bundesliga Talent & HANAFSAN Ambassador for Hemp in Professional Football

While VFB Bezau, Tartarotti's home club, is already an official partner of HANAFSAN, the young talent is now joining the Vorarlberg brand as well. After Collin Quaner (FC St. Mirren, SCO), Johannes Tartarotti is now the second football professional to rely on the diverse active ingredients of the hemp plant in terms of fitness and health with HANAFSAN. In the interview, the player talks about his rise to the Bundesliga and the ÖFB U21 team and explains how hemp and football go together.

Johannes, how important is the topic of healthy nutrition in the life of a professional football player?

The topics of healthy nutrition and regeneration after training and matches are becoming increasingly important components in sports, that is clear. Many of my colleagues also place more and more value on it and some even pursue professional development in this area. Many also work with nutritionists and personal trainers to achieve the absolute maximum performance in sports without exhausting themselves or even causing harm. I now place a very high value on a natural diet and refrain from certain foods. But also just getting enough sleep is very important for optimal regeneration and thus part of the whole.

Hemp and products made from it are extremely healthy. But does hemp even fit into sports?

To be honest, I was very skeptical because the plant is tainted with certain prejudices in our sport. Regarding its application in sports, I first learned about it from my former colleagues at VFB Bezau. My home club has been relying on hemp for some time and is supported by organic products from HANAFSAN. When I started to engage with the subject and was able to gain initial experiences with the HANAFSAN products, my perspective changed very quickly. The plant hemp and the active ingredient cannabidiol (CBD) are rightly establishing themselves in the health sector. In the USA and Canada, for example, more and more professional athletes are openly advocating for hemp and acting as CBD ambassadors. The ongoing CBD boom clearly indicates more than just a trend. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) sees no problem with CBD, for example. Consequently, CBD is also not on the anti-doping list. I think new standards are being set. By now, almost everyone understands that CBD has nothing to do with the problematic substance THC in sports. The fact that more and more farmers are cultivating industrial hemp on a large scale has certainly contributed to the understanding that industrial hemp has nothing to do with illegal marijuana.

You play professionally for SCR Altach in the First Bundesliga and were recently nominated for the U21 ÖFB national team. It must feel quite special to represent your country, right?

Basically, it’s the same game as in Altach; only different teammates and a different coach are by your side. Therefore, it doesn’t make a huge difference for me. What is clear, however, is that it is something very special to represent your own nation and to compete internationally with other players and countries. While there is a lot of work and willpower behind it, the feeling of being able to stand on the football field every day and do what you love is unique and worth every effort.

Welcome to Hanafsan, Johannes!

Image source: © Johannes Tartarotti