(de-news.net) – Germany has chosen Munich as its candidate to host the 2036, 2040 or 2044 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, with the bid emphasizing existing infrastructure, sustainability and nationwide benefits. Munich defeated Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr after Berlin and Hamburg had withdrawn, while the German government now plans to pursue the international bid collectively amid competition from other prospective hosts.
Munich, with the support of Germany, will seek to be an Olympic host following the German Olympic Sports Confederation’s (DOSB) decision to select the Bavarian capital as the country’s national candidate. The choice was announced after an extraordinary DOSB assembly in Baden-Baden, where Munich prevailed over the Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region. The decision marks the next stage in a national process that had initially involved several German cities and regions before narrowing to the two finalists. The sailing competitions are planned for Kiel, linking the proposed Munich bid with a second German city and with the country’s existing Olympic infrastructure.
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier described the effort to bring the Games to reunified Germany for the first time as a historic objective. Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the country should now pursue the international application collectively. Merz congratulated Munich and Bavaria while also thanking the Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr bid, as well as Hamburg and Berlin, for their efforts to bring the Olympic and Paralympic Games back to Germany. With the domestic selection now completed, he said the country would move forward jointly with its international application. The transition effectively shifts the focus from competition among German cities and regions to the much longer process of securing international backing for a German proposal.
At the same time, Bavarian Premier Markus Söder (CSU) emphasized the ambition of presenting Germany as a cohesive national partner spanning the north, south, east and west. Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter welcomed the decision as the beginning of a coordinated effort to advance the bid. For North Rhine-Westphalia, the outcome represented somewhat of a setback, but Premier Hendrik Wüst (CDU) said his state will nevertheless support Munich’s candidacy after the Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr proposal was defeated.
Munich emerges from competition to lead Germany’s Olympic campaign
Munich and Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr became the final contenders after Berlin withdrew earlier in the week and Hamburg abandoned its bid following a negative referendum in May. The DOSB’s evaluation process had given Munich a narrow advantage, particularly on the assessment of its overall concept. The commission awarded Munich 87.03 points out of 100, compared with 85.02 for Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr, with both proposals receiving a “very good” overall assessment. The distinction was therefore relatively narrow, even as Munich secured the support required in the final vote.
Both candidates had built their proposals around sustainability and the extensive use of existing infrastructure, reflecting an effort to limit the need for major new construction. Munich emphasized compact distances between venues and its experience in staging major sporting events. The city also recently secured the 2028 Champions League final and the 2031 World Athletics Championships, strengthening its case around established organizational capacity. Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr, by contrast, proposed distributing competitions across the wider region, making use of existing sports facilities and seeking to turn the geographic breadth of the metropolitan area into part of its Olympic concept. Its bid projected more than 17 million tickets and the potential for the largest spectator attendance in Olympic history.
Olympic options kept open amid international competition
According to Anja Karliczek (CDU), chairwoman of the Bundestag’s Tourism Committee, Munich’s selection as Germany’s candidate city could give tourism across the country a broader boost if the Olympic bid ultimately succeeds. She pointed to the wider economic and reputational effects associated with major international sporting events, including increased demand for hotels and restaurants as well as greater international visibility for the country as a travel destination. In her assessment, those effects would extend beyond Munich and its surrounding region to the German tourism industry more broadly. Karliczek also argued that the enthusiasm generated by all three German bids should now be carried into the international campaign, as Germany moves from its domestic selection process toward a potential IOC bid.
Berlin’s withdrawal came shortly before the DOSB vote and followed renewed political opposition to the capital’s Olympic plans. After the Left Party’s election victory, its leading candidate, Elif Eralp, reiterated her opposition to the bid, citing the costs associated with the application and questioning the benefits it would bring to Berlin. Hamburg had already left the process after voters rejected its proposal in May, making the public response to Olympic plans a significant factor in determining which German bids remained politically viable.
Germany has deliberately kept open the possibility of targeting the 2036, 2040 or 2044 Games as it prepares for international competition and further discussions with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The DOSB has said that committing to a specific year is not yet necessary and that Germany intends to enter the IOC’s reformed “continuous dialogue” process, allowing the concept to be developed without immediately tying it to a single Olympic edition. India, Qatar and Turkey have expressed interest in the 2036 Games, while recent Summer Olympics have been awarded to Paris, Los Angeles and Brisbane. Against that international backdrop, Germany’s decision to keep all three potential years open is intended to preserve flexibility as the international selection process develops. The IOC’s timing for awarding the 2036 and subsequent Games remains subject to its evolving process.
