Sports policy: German Olympic dream: This is how the application continues

The hurdles are high, but the goal is clear: The German Olympic Sports Association (DOSB) wants to bring Olympia back to Germany in Munich for the first time since the summer games in 1972. 2036, 2040 or 2044 can be considered. When the summer games are again transferred to Europe from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the DOSB wants to be ready, as the association said again in a press conference. “Germany has to be ready when Europe is asked,” said Michael Mronz, member of the IOC and the DOSB Presidium. But until then a lot of work is waiting.

Which cities and regions want to apply?

Berlin in cooperation with the smaller partner Leipzig as well as Hamburg, Munich and the Rhein-Ruhr region are interested in the orientation. You work on regional concepts in coordination with the DOSB. The majority of the athletes are said to be accommodated in an Olympic village after the “One-Village” concept.

What’s off in the coming weeks and months?

As part of a so-called three-stage model, applicants must first submit refined concepts to the DOSB by the end of May. By the end of September 2025, these will be checked for the fulfillment of the minimum requirements and the corresponding plausibility. All concepts that pass this exam will be presented at the general meeting at the end of this year. Nothing should be decided yet.

When is certain, which applicant Germany wants to go into the race with?

The final decision on a German application concept should be made by autumn 2026 at the latest. Then the whole thing still has to be approved by the DOSB members. But this is considered a matter of form. The DOSB then assumes that the IOC will decide on the award at the earliest in 2027.

To what extent is the population integrated?

A German Olympic application has recently failed twice because the population had something against it. The application from Munich for the Winter Games 2022 was just as possible in a referendum as that of the city of Hamburg for the summer games 2024.

In order to prevent another debacle, the DOSB wants to develop measures in close coordination with the federal government and the applicants how the company can take part in the planning of the games around possible referenders, but above all.

Possible citizenship decisions in these cities and regions would have to be carried out by June 2026. “The political authorities alone decide on the date, question and option of a simultaneous referendum,” it said. A referendum is not a mandatory prerequisite for applying for the Olympics.

However, Munich’s mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) announced a citizens’ decision on Deutschlandfunk for the current year.

How high will the costs of an application be?

The DOSB does not yet call specific costs. The ongoing national process that the association financed from own funds by mid -2024 should be significantly cheaper than past German applications. For example, cheaper than the approximately 50 million euros that Hamburg had estimated in the budget for the start of the summer games 2024.

Who is considered a German favorite?

Difficult to say because the DOSB cannot be looked into the cards. All interested parties pay good chances. Berlin, as the capital in conjunction with the smaller partner Leipzig, might have had the largest international radiance and, as a formerly shared German city, the biggest charm of the first overall German games since reunification. And there is already a modern Olympic stadium.

The city of Munich would have to renew yours. The European Championships almost three years ago when several sports had held their European championships in the Bavarian capital, but were a complete success. The signal: Munich can do major events.

The Rhein-Ruhr region scores primarily with being able to fall back on existing sports facilities. However, an Olympic Stadium is missing. Just like in the city of Hamburg, which could present Maritime games like no other applicant. Temporary athletics stadiums would be possible here.

To what extent is the DOSB in conversation with the IOC?

Since the beginning of the year, the umbrella organization has been in a “regular, trusting exchange” with the IOC. After a decision at the general meeting 2024, the DOSB will enter a continuous dialogue – the next formal phase of the application process – this year. With this step, Germany is also an internationally interested in organizing the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

But there are strong competitors, the outgoing IOC boss Thomas Bach speaks of a double-digit number. India and Qatar in particular are traded as favorites for the next award, including Indonesia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia have Olympic plans. Egypt and South Africa could lure with the first games on the African continent.

How does a new federal government feel about a German Olympic application?

The support of the new coalition is considered safe. Both CDU/CSU and SPD support a German Olympic application. “There are positive signals that political support at the federal level will continue to exist in the future,” said the DOSB.