Saxony Out of the Olympic Running with Its Canoe Slalom Park

With the selection of Munich as Germany’s Olympic bid city, the Free State of Saxony is also out of the running. This is because the canoe slalom park in Markkleeberg near Leipzig, along with the sailing venue in Rostock-Warnemünde, was part of the Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr bid for the 2036, 2040, or 2044 Summer Games. 

“The decision has been made, and we congratulate the winner,” said Leipzig Mayor Burkhard Jung in a press release, adding: “We will nevertheless continue to develop our sports infrastructure plans and bid for major international sporting events.” 

Munich was also considered the favorite. Even before the vote, DOSB evaluators deemed Munich’s proposal the most suitable, as indicated by an assessment from the evaluation commission. Munich’s proposal scored slightly higher than that of its rival, Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr. With the exception of soccer matches in Stuttgart and the sailing competitions in Kiel, all competitions are to take place in Bavaria.

Munich Plans to Use the Augsburg Ice Canal

As it did for the 1972 Olympics, Munich plans to use the canoe slalom course in Augsburg. The historic ice channel was renovated from April 2018 through spring 2022—in time for the 2022 World Championships—at a cost of approximately 21 million euros to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Olympic Games. The facility has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019. Despite the extensive renovation, the ice canal struggles with falling water levels in the Lech River during summer droughts. The city of Augsburg therefore decided at the end of 2025 to build two regulating structures (weirs) to secure the water supply and training operations in the coming years on a long-term basis. 

The canoe park in Markkleeberg was part of the Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr bid as well as the withdrawn Berlin bid. Even in Leipzig’s bid for the 2012 Olympic Games—which ultimately went to London—the modern course was included in the Olympic plans. The decision to build the second World Cup-eligible course in Germany was made as early as 2001, and the groundbreaking ceremony took place in April 2005. The whitewater course on Lake Markkleeberg near Leipzig was opened in April 2007. The federal government provided approximately 4.9 million euros in funding for the construction. “We are nevertheless moving forward with the planned investments in the canoe park, and our next goal is to host world championships in Markkleeberg,” said Markkleeberg’s mayor, Karsten Schütze. 

Leipzig Plans to Continue Investing

Leipzig’s mayor for sports and Olympic commissioner, Heiko Rosenthal, intends to continue investing in sports facilities regardless of Baden-Baden’s decision. “The Olympic bid gave Leipzig the opportunity to get necessary investments off the ground more quickly. This applies in particular to the further development of the Sportforum with the QUARTERBACK Immobilien ARENA and the planned ball sports hall. We haven’t reinvented any Olympic projects; rather, they meet the needs of Leipzig’s sports community. These projects remain important for Leipzig as a city of sports.”