Germany to bid for Olympics with Munich as candidate

Germany will bid for the Olympics and Paralympics in 2036, 2040 or 2046 with Munich as candidate, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced on Saturday after a vote by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB).

“The Olympic Games are a huge opportunity for all of Germany. Let’s show that we are a land of opportunity,” Steinmeier said before announcing the result.

Munich was campaigning after two failed bids for the 2018 and 2022 Winter Games, and was considered to have a narrow advantage over its opponents, a Cologne-led bid by the Rhine-Ruhr region.

“We’re happy, the organizers in Cologne made things very hard for us,” Bavarian Premier Markus Söder said.

“It’s something historic, and we want to give everything so that in the end we can present ourselves together as Germany, as a partner for North, for South, for East and West, ultimately as one country.”

Munich was considered the favourite and had the best-rated project after DOSB officials evaluated the bids ahead of the vote.

According to the project, all competitions are to take place in Bavaria, except for the football matches in Stuttgart and the sailing competitions in Kiel.

The last Olympics in Germany were in Munich in 1972 and the city has been trying to host the Games again for a while.

In 2013, a project to host the 2022 Winter Games fell through after it was rejected by citizens in a referendum. This time around, however, the plans for 2036, 2040 or 2046 were approved by the majority of residents in Munich.

Olympics in a reunited nation

The last time Germany welcomed the Games, the country was still divided following World War II and the events took place in West Germany.

The nation has also hosted Summer and Winter Games in 1936, but those were overshadowed by the Nazi regime, which used the Olympics as an opportunity for propaganda and to project an image of a peaceful, tolerant Germany.

Before announcing the winner of the DOSB vote, Steinmeier said: “We have a historic goal here. We all want the Olympic Games and for the first time in a reunited country.”

He called on the nation to use this opportunity to “inspire people,” “bring us together” and to “improve the quality of life” through sports.

Withdrawals from Berlin and Hamburg

Hamburg and Berlin were also initially in the race, but both decided to withdraw their bids.

Hamburg’s project was rejected in a referendum in May, while Berlin withdrew its bid two days before the DOSB’s decision.

The German capital made that decision after the Left party came top in last Sunday’s regional election.

The Left’s Elif Eralp, who is poised to become the city’s next mayor, said she had “made it very clear” that she considers the Olympic bid “a waste of taxpayer money.” The Left’s victory was a vote against the Olympics, she said.

Berlin was also behind Munich and the Cologne/Rhine-Ruhr campaign after DOSB officials evaluated the rival bids ahead of the vote.

Small blunder reveals result

Munich was chosen in the first round of vote during the DOSB extraordinary assembly in Baden-Baden in the morning, but the result remained secret and was only announced a few hours later during a ceremony.

Several guests, including former International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, were invited for speeches and interviews before the big moment.

A notary was then called on stage to bring the envelope with the result and handed it to DOSB boss Thomas Weikert.

Weikert opened the envelope to read the card inside, but as he did that, he accidentally showed the paper saying “Munich” to the cameras before Steinmeier could make the official announcement.

“As some of you might have seen already, it’s Munich,” the German president said.