Olympic bid: And the winner is: Hamburg!

Cheers on the Elbe and Alster, disappointment in Berlin: the preliminary decision has been made in the duel between Hamburg and Berlin for the status of official German candidate city for the 2024 Olympic Games. Hamburg is to be the German candidate in the international competition. And in the event of failure, it will also enter the bidding round for the 2028 Olympic Games, as recommended today by the Executive Committee of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) after a long and detailed consultation. The decision was announced on Monday evening shortly after 7pm in Frankfurt.

However, Hamburg still has two hurdles to overcome before becoming an official candidate city: The DOSB Executive Board's decision still has to be confirmed by the DOSB General Assembly on 21 March. However, the General Assembly's vote in favour of the Executive Board's decision is considered certain because influential leading associations have already pledged their support to the DOSB Executive Board following a meeting on Sunday. The final decision will be made in a referendum in late summer.

Kiel, Rostock-Warnemünde or Lübeck-Travemünde?

With the decision in favour of Hamburg, another exciting competition is now in the spotlight from a sailing perspective, as the Hanseatic city had left it open as to which sailing area it would apply for if it was chosen as the German candidate. While Berlin had decided in favour of Warnemünde, Hamburg had initially remained neutral with regard to the three applicants from Kiel, Rostock-Warnemünde and Lübeck-Travemünde. All three applicants tried to win the favour of the Elbe metropolis with presentations, on-site appointments, image and poster campaigns. The people of Hamburg, it was said, now want to decide in favour of one area "soon".

In the current YACHT: an overview of the three area rivals

In its current issue 7, YACHT presents the three rivals in the battle for Hamburg's district title in detail. You can read personal declarations of love from Germany's Sailor of the Year, Philipp Buhl, the Olympic sixth-placed Simon Grotelüschen and the 2009 World Championship fourth-placed in the Star boat, Alexander Schlonsk. The three top athletes present their favourites with the same passion that helped Hamburg to success in the duel with Berlin. Schlonski says: "From my point of view, Rostock-Warnemünde has a big advantage in this three-way sailing battle with Kiel and Lübeck because it combines the best attributes of the two rivals: Kiel's competitive approach and the charm of Lübeck-Travemünde. Warnemünde has both!"

Simon Grotelüschen explains: "Because I was born and grew up in Lübeck and learnt to sail in Travemünde, my heart beats for this place. I know every corner here by heart and can say that the area is absolutely Olympic-ready in every respect." Philipp Buhl, who came third in the Laser at the 2013 World Championships and fourth at the 2014 World Championships, is an Allgäu native who is in favour of Kiel: "I would choose Kiel for the Olympic sailing regatta because it offers the best long-term prospects. Kiel can do almost anything as a sailing venue and has often demonstrated world class. And that is in demand at the Olympics."

The first reactions

The three districts are now entering the final spurt of the bidding process. Rostock's Lord Mayor Roland Methling said: "We want the Olympics and we can do it." Nikolaus Rickers, Managing Director of Kiel Week marketer Point of Sailing, told YACHT online immediately after the decision in favour of Hamburg: "For us, the vote for Hamburg means that we can work even more closely with the partner with whom we already felt we worked most closely. Our concept fits in well with that of Hamburg. We are in close dialogue. And we assume that the national base for Olympic sailors deliberately chosen by the DSV will be of great importance for the decision. We believe we have a very good chance of being chosen as a sailing centre. According to current information, we expect the decision to be made in April."

Oliver Groth, personal advisor to the Mayor of the Hanseatic City of Lübeck, told YACHT online: "We are delighted that the DOSB has made a recommendation in favour of Hamburg. That makes us happy and delighted! We believe that the location with the best concept has been awarded the contract. We will now do everything we can to ensure that Lübeck-Travemünde is awarded the contract as a sailing centre. We reckon we have a good chance. Our concept fulfils the modified IOC criteria and includes sustainability and ecological rationality across the board. The subsequent economic utilisation has already been clarified. We are not in favour of gigantic Games. We simply want to offer a great Olympic regatta."