Germany’s bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036, 2040 or 2044 still has “a long way to go” DOSB chair Otto Fricke said at his German sports authority meeting this week according to news outlet DPA.
“We have to show the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in particular that we can be trusted if we go through with this process,” he said.
With the Games already awarded to Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane, Australia in 2032, the IOC has opened up dialogues with several regions hoping to stage following editions. But progress came to halt in July after newly installed IOC President Kirsty Coventry called for a review of the bid process amid calls for greater member involvement and transparency.
However Germany continues to move forward after last year narrowing its field of host candidates to Berlin, Munich, Hamburg and the Rhine-Ruhr region.
“Everyone did a great job, it’s a fair competition,” Fricke said as the DOSB works through the selection criteria before finalizing the rules of the domestic process at a meeting in December.
The final decision regarding host region and preferred year – if any – is expected at the DOSB General Assembly near the end of 2026.
Fricke assured that no referendum would be required to bring the bid to the IOC but some interested regions have already decided to move forward with public votes. Munich officials have launched a campaign to support its vote scheduled for October 26. Both Hamburg and the Rhine-Ruhr region will follow with plans to collect ballots next year.
Such votes in the past have prevented Germany from welcoming back the Games since the event was last staged in Munich in 1972. Most recently, Hamburg residents narrowly voted against a 2024 bid and Munich voters scuppered their city’s 2022 Winter Games application before it even left the gate. Previously a successful referendum in Garmisch-Partenkirchen allowed a Munich 2018 Winter Games bid to move forward but was defeated by eventual host PyeongChang.
Last week Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter, Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder and Minister of Sport Joachim Herrmann launched what they describe as a “critical phase” leading up to the late October referendum. By blanketing the region with posters, billboards, newspaper and social media messaging supporters hope to evoke positive memories of the 1972 Games under the banner “Games with Heart & Soul.”
Many remember those previous Games were marred by the horrific attack by Palestinian militants who murdered several Israeli Olympic team members, so bid supporter hope voters will focus on the successful European championships held in the city in 2022.
Several meetings to promote public engagement have also been planned. Ballots will be mailed to residents mid-September for postal voting or in person deposits on the referendum date.
Internationally Ahmedabad, India and Doha, Qatar have already emerged as top contenders focusing on the 2036 edition while several other regions are looking at 2036 or beyond including Saudi Arabia, Hungary, Nusantara in Indonesia, Santiago in Chile, Egypt and North Jeolla, South Korea. European contenders could include Istanbul, Budapest and Spain.
The IOC has not yet set a timetable for a 2036 election.
