On 26 September, at an extraordinary general meeting of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) at the Kurhaus in Baden-Baden, a decision will be made as to which German candidate will be put forward in the international race to host the Olympic Games in this country in 2036, 2040 or 2044. Following Hamburg’s withdrawal, Berlin, Munich and Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr remain officially in the running. As the decision approaches, the contest is being fought with great passion and compelling arguments.
Munich and Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr almost neck and neck
Whilst the Berlin's bid With the situation now looking uncertain – because, shortly before the DOSB’s decision following last Sunday’s Berlin House of Representatives election, there is no political majority in favour of hosting the Olympics – it remained unclear until recently which sailing partner would be chosen by Munich and Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr would decide. The recommendations previously issued and published by their own regional professional associations Only one of the two candidates was selected.
The Bavarian Sailing Association (BSV) and the North Rhine-Westphalia Sailing Association (SVNRW) – the two largest German sailing associations under the umbrella of the German Sailing Association (DSV) – had spoken out in favour of Kiel as a sailing venue. Munich had already followed this recommendation on Monday. Minister-President Markus Söder described the partnership with Schleswig-Holstein’s ‘Sailing City’ as “a perfect match”. Munich’s Lord Mayor Dominik Krause stated: “Munich and Kiel made Olympic history together in 1972. Now we want to breathe new life into this shared history.”
All of Germany’s most recent Olympic sailing medallists, as well as the country’s top Paralympic athletes, had previously spoken out in favour of Kiel. In Enoshima in 2021, three German teams won three medals within three and a half hours. They, along with their successors, dream of hosting the Olympics on home soil. 49er bronze medallist Thomas Plößel is one of them and said: “Both German venues, Warnemünde and Kiel, are very well suited to the Olympics. The open sea at Warnemünde is excellent, but Kiel’s strength lies in its versatility, which can be combined very effectively during a regatta week.”
Sailing medallists back Kiel as an Olympic venue
According to Plößel, in Kiel you can “sail inshore or out at sea in rough conditions.” He is convinced: “That’s why Kiel is known internationally as a very challenging sailing area. And the athletes love coming here. This is down to the city’s atmosphere, the good facilities at the Olympic Centre and the Kiel Week event itself. It’s simply well organised, and you have a brilliant time.”
For Heiko Kröger, a five-time Paralympian and gold and silver medallist, Kiel epitomises Paralympic sailing: “When sailing was set to become a Paralympic sport in 2000, Kiel was immediately willing, at my request, to include Paralympic sailing in Kiel Week. Since then, we have continued to work together to ensure barrier-free access to the jetties at the Olympic Centre. There is no doubt about Kiel’s qualities.” 49erFX silver medallist Sanni Beucke said: “Kiel’s reputation in the sailing world is simply huge.”
"Kiel’s international profile and the enthusiasm of its residents would certainly be a great advantage for a German bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games." Heiko Kröger
The decision in Munich was followed on Tuesday evening by the announcement of the sailing partner for the Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr bid. This came as a surprise, as it did not follow the recommendation of its own sports federation. Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr is bringing Rostock-Warnemünde on board. This is what the DOSB has announced.
Munich/Kiel narrowly ahead on points of Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr/Warnemünde
Torsten Haverland, who came twelfth at the 1996 Olympics in Savannah alongside Ronald Rensch and is now managing director of the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania State Sports Federation, told the *Ostsee-Zeitung*: “When it comes to the sailing venue and the conditions surrounding it, the choice can only be Rostock-Warnemünde.”
Meanwhile, the DOSB has also—Evaluation Committee They completed their work on Tuesday. According to the DOSB, the bids from Munich (87.03 points) and Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr (85.02 points) were subsequently rated “very good”, whilst Berlin’s bid (74.64 points) was rated “good”. In the head-to-head contest between Munich and Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr, the Bavarians are therefore slightly ahead on points.
According to the DOSB, delegates at the extraordinary general meeting of the German Olympic Sports Confederation this coming Saturday will have “a choice between three strong bids for the 2036, 2040 or 2044 Olympic and Paralympic Games”. The advantage of the Munich and Cologne-Rhein-Ruhr bid over the Berlin bid stems, amongst other things, from the assessments in the categories ‘Sporting and operational suitability’ and ‘International appeal and national acceptance’.
DSV President Mona Küppers comments on the evaluation report
As Deputy Chair of the Evaluation Commission, DSV President Mona Küppers commented on the conclusion of the evaluation process: “At its meeting today, the Commission approved the final evaluation report. We can unanimously state that, despite the complexity of the subject matter, the DOSB conducted the process in a professional, transparent and accountable manner at all times. The agreed criteria were adhered to, and the results published in the final report reflect the evaluation that was carried out.”
In its statement on 19 September, the DOSB Athletes’ Commission had remained neutral towards the bidding cities, but noted: “Ultimately, this is not about individual cities or regions – but about the shared goal of hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in our own country once again.” The athletes addressed their appeal to the DOSB members: “Let us make a decision that creates the best conditions for bringing the Olympic and Paralympic Games to Germany.”
“Let us stand united behind the elected candidate after the general meeting and work together to make the Olympic and Paralympic dream a reality.” DOSB Athletes’ Commission
Before that, the election itself will take place on 26 September in Baden-Baden. On Saturday, 42 leading Olympic federations will each be entitled to cast three votes for their favourite candidate. This amounts to 126 votes. The winter sports federations are also entitled to vote. The three votes may not be split by the federations; they must be cast as a block for a single candidate. The vote is by secret ballot.
The Federal President announces Germany’s Olympic bid
The ten members of the DOSB Executive Board, as well as eight ‘individual members’ – including former active athletes in Team D such as professional footballer Leon Goretzka – each have one vote. The total number of votes is 144. The future German Olympic candidate requires an absolute majority, i.e. at least 73 votes. Consequently, several rounds of voting are possible. The decision will be Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Saturday from 1.45 pm on ARD, together with DOSB chief Thomas Weikert. Click here to watch the live stream.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter