Berlin starts the Olympic race: "Not a one-man show"

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 Berlin 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 Berlin, an opportunity for Germany," said Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner at the presentation of the basic concept in the Olympic Stadium.

Together with Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein, Berlin wants to bring the Olympics to Germany. "Berlin+" is the name of the concept, which 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 Berlin's sports senator Iris Spranger (SPD).

The question of whether to bid for the Games in 2036, 2040 or 2044 remains open. "We'll keep at it until it works out," announced the Saxon State Minister of the Interior, Armin Schuster.

Gymnastics in Leipzig, sailing in Kiel?

In addition to Berlin, Munich, Hamburg and North Rhine-Westphalia with the Rhine and Ruhr region are also planning a bid for the Olympic Games and Paralympics. "Berlin+ 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".

Concrete ideas for competition venues already exist 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 Berlin. Weightlifting, fencing, gymnastics and canoe slalom in Leipzig.

What happens next?

The respective bid concepts will be reviewed by the German Olympic Sports Confederation by the end of September. Admissible bids will 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.

Munich's bid for the 2022 Winter Games and Hamburg's bid for the 2024 Summer Games recently failed due to a "no" vote from the local population. In Berlin, there will probably be no referendum on the Olympic bid. It is about a dialog with each other, not just 'yes' or 'no', emphasized Spranger once again. Dialogue events had therefore already begun last year.

The manager of the BR Volleys, Kaweh Niroomand, called on the Berlin Senate on rbb24-Inforadio to do more to win people over to the bid. The Berlin State Sports Association (LSB) had announced that it would consider launching a so-called popular initiative.

What will the Games cost?

Spranger was tight-lipped about the possible costs. "We now have 500,000 euros in the budget. We are using this money in Berlin primarily to organize dialogue events. To go out into society," said the SPD politician. In addition, financial support from the federal government is firmly expected.

Criticism came promptly from the Greens. "It must not be allowed to happen that the IOC makes high profits while the host cities end up bearing the costs. We take a critical look at the structural problems associated with the Olympic Games and call for an open debate and a transparent cost-benefit analysis," explained Clemens Rostock, state chairman of the Brandenburg Green Party.

Initiative wants to prevent Olympics with referendum

Even before the plans were officially presented, a heated debate about the Olympic bid was in full swing. The Berlin Greens continue to reject Berlin's bid. There is no sensible concept for financing and Berliners would not benefit from possible investments, said co-chairman of the Green Party Werner Graf.

The "NOlympia Berlin" initiative wants to prevent the Olympic Games in Berlin and has announced a referendum against hosting the Games. A successful petition requires 20,000 valid signatures. In a second step, around 170,000 Berliners would then have to vote against the project. Then there will be a referendum in which Berliners can vote for or against the Games in Berlin.