Dear readers,

Until Sunday, the Kiel Fjord is the world showcase for international sailing in all its diversity. Schleswig-Holstein's Minister of the Interior and Sport, Sabine Sütterlin-Waack, called Kiel "World Sailing City" at the opening ceremony. It was no coincidence that she made such a brilliant start.

Kiel wants to host an Olympic sailing regatta for the third time after 1936 and 1972. The sporting competition for this comes from Rostock-Warnemünde, where intensive work is also being carried out for the opportunity to organise sailing games in the future.

The bidding process is currently underway in Germany with four candidates who want to host the Olympics in 2036, 2040 or 2044: Hamburg, Munich, Berlin and Rhine-Ruhr are contesting this four-way battle, which will be decided nationally at the end of 2026.

All four candidates have already declared which sailing areas they are planning to use: Munich, Berlin and Rhine-Ruhr are still leaving the decision between Kiel and Rostock-Warnemünde open, but have indicated both as potential partners in their application documents. Only Hamburg has already given its sole vote to Kiel's sponsorship area.

Looked at the other way round: Kiel is in the running for all of Germany's Olympic bids. "We are keen on the Olympics!" declared Schleswig-Holstein's refreshing State Secretary in the Ministry of the Interior and Sport. Magdalena Finke spoke at a panel discussion on the Kiel Week what is regularly celebrated in the north: Sailing sports galore.

This has been demonstrated in the past Hundreds of thousands of fans also at other Kiel sailing summits such as the Ocean Race Flyby 2023. Even more visitors are expected in the week leading up to the Start of the Ocean Race Europe on 10 August calculated.

"We have real support from the population here in Kiel," said Lord Mayor Ulf Kämpfer. On the Kieler Woche stage, he cited "the location of the national sailing team" and "the reputation of Kiel as a sailing centre in the world and also in the world's professional associations" as two further arguments in favour of the Olympics in Kiel.

All three arguments are good and correct. It was highly inconvenient, that the three-time Olympian and world champion Philipp Buhl and other sailors shook up the German sailing sport fortress with their criticism of Kieler Woche.

Buhl had chosen harsh words such as "tragedy" and "not fit for the Olympics", which seemed like low blows and outraged the organisers of Kiel Week. The debate was fierce and almost obscured the fact that it was not about the big picture, but about annoyances in some classes or on some courses that could be named and - more importantly - remedied.

Even before the desire for better communication with the active participants, some starting boats caused frustration this year because the anchors did not hold in stiff or stormy winds with corresponding swell. The consequences were cancelled races - which also frustrated the sail-hungry Kiel Week participants on the sea course.

In view of the accumulation of "construction sites", Kieler Woche sports director Dirk Ramhorst admitted that a mixture of sometimes very heavy weather, the available starting boats, their equipment and some cautious owners "who say no in certain conditions" have led to the difficulties.

It's no secret that Kieler Woche's resources are not infinite. New starting ships cannot be purchased at short notice because the existing ones do not fulfil the requirements in extreme weather conditions. But even this challenge could be helped in the medium and long term by the Olympics: The Games also provide funding for equipment to organise the sports competitions, from which the hosts benefit before and after the Games. In addition, the organisers of Kiel Week want to see whether they can acquire a good starting boat as a joint effort between the clubs.

There is no question that everyone involved - critics and the criticised - are keen on the Olympics. And that the construction sites need to be rectified. Kiel's chances as a promising candidate, alongside those of Rostock-Warnemünde, remain very good, even if there is a lot of "shooting". Which is something that nobody who cares about the well-being of Kiel Week or the fight for the Olympic Games in this country would do.

Whoever prevails in the national four-way competition with which sailing area as the German candidate for the international competition to host the Olympics by the end of 2026: The Games will provide the younger generation with sporting role models, unforgettable life moments and, in this day and age, more sustainable infrastructure, including new or remodelled or renovated sports facilities, from whose subsequent use the population will benefit. Perhaps they will also bring a new starting boat or two?

Greetings to you all with a great desire for the Olympics in your own country

Tatjana Pokorny

YACHT sports reporter

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