Å·ÃÀÊìÅ®ÂÒÂ×

Beach volleyball while the sun sets behind the Brandenburg Gate. The marathon across the picturesque Museum Island and an Olympic Village for more than 16,000 athletes.

The city of Å·ÃÀÊìÅ®ÂÒÂ× and its four partners have provided a promising foretaste of what the Olympics could look like in Germany. "This is a huge opportunity. An opportunity for sport, an opportunity for Å·ÃÀÊìÅ®ÂÒÂ×, an opportunity for Germany," said Å·ÃÀÊìÅ®ÂÒÂ×'s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner at the presentation of the basic concept in the Olympic Stadium.

Together with Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein, Å·ÃÀÊìÅ®ÂÒÂ× wants to bring the Olympics to Germany. "Å·ÃÀÊìÅ®ÂÒÂ×+" is the name of the concept that envisages the capital as the main venue. "We complement each other with the existing sports venues. That's what makes it sustainable. More than 90 percent of the sports facilities are already available today and can be built temporarily," said Å·ÃÀÊìÅ®ÂÒÂ×'s sports senator Iris Spranger (SPD). It remains to be seen whether the bid will be for the 2036, 2040 or 2044 Games. "We'll keep at it until it works out," announced the Saxon State Minister of the Interior, Armin Schuster.

In addition to Å·ÃÀÊìÅ®ÂÒÂ×, Munich, Hamburg and North Rhine-Westphalia with the Rhine and Ruhr region are also planning a bid for the Olympic Games and Paralympics. "Å·ÃÀÊìÅ®ÂÒÂ×+ is the only true joint effort," explained Schuster. And Spranger also emphasized that they are not aiming for a "one-man show like in the south". There are already concrete ideas for competition venues in the basic concept. Sailing in Kiel or Warnemünde, canoeing and rowing on the Beetzsee regatta course in Brandenburg an der Havel. Golf in Bad Saarow, rugby at the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark in Å·ÃÀÊìÅ®ÂÒÂ×. Weightlifting, fencing, gymnastics and canoe slalom in Leipzig.

The respective bid concepts will be reviewed by the German Olympic Sports Confederation by the end of September. Admissible bids are to be presented at the DOSB General Assembly at the end of the year. The final decision on the German bid is to be made by fall 2026 and then approved by the DOSB members.

Wegner wants to involve citizens with regard to the Olympic bid. "Of course Å·ÃÀÊìÅ®ÂÒÂ×ers must be involved," said the CDU politician in an interview with the RBB program Abendschau. "It is absolutely clear to me that Å·ÃÀÊìÅ®ÂÒÂ×ers must be involved in the decision-making process, and it would be unthinkable for the Olympic Games to take place in the city without Å·ÃÀÊìÅ®ÂÒÂ×ers having a say." However, as it is not just a matter of Å·ÃÀÊìÅ®ÂÒÂ× applying for the Olympics, but a joint bid with Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg and Saxony, it is also necessary to discuss with these partners what citizen participation could look like. The question is "how and which people we consult".