Munich picked as Germany’s candidate to host Summer Games

BADEN-BADEN: Munich was on Saturday (Sep 26) selected ahead of the Cologne/Rhine-Ruhr region by the German Olympic Committee (DOSB) as part of a bid to host the 2036, 2040 or 2044 Summer Games.

The decision was announced by German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier in the south-western spa town of Baden-Baden. 

Launched as a race between four candidates, the DOSB was given a choice between two after Berlin withdrew on Thursday, after Hamburg pulled out in May. 

"We're thinking about all of Germany," Bavarian state premier Markus Soeder said on stage after the announcement of Munich's successful bid. 

"The Cologne bid made things really tough for us and pretty tense until the end.

"I want that we work jointly to bring the games to Germany. It is a chance at something historic, and we want to give everything to present ourselves as a united country - from north to south and from east to west.

"That's our goal and what we're working towards. Thank you for the trust."

The Munich bid centres on the Olympic Park in the north of the city. Built for the 1972 Games, it has undergone extensive renovations in recent years. 

In a statement issued moments after the announcement, German chancellor Friedrich Merz congratulated Munich. 

"Germany has an Olympic candidate. Munich will enter the race on our behalf, and I warmly congratulate the state capital and the Free State of Bavaria on this," he said.

"Now, together with our Olympic candidate, we eagerly look forward to this major event... Germany is ready for the Olympics."

In order to shore up support for the bid, Munich held a referendum in the autumn of 2025. Almost two-thirds (66.4 per cent) of voters cast their ballot in support of hosting the games, on a turnout of 44 per cent. 

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