Clear result
Hamburgers say no to the Olympic bid
Updated May 31, 2026 – 7:57 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
According to the citizens’ will, Hamburg is withdrawing from the race for Germany’s candidacy for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. As in 2015, the initiators failed in the referendum.
Even before the votes were counted, the majority was against the plans to bring the global sports festival to the Alster and Elbe in 2036, 2040 and 2044. According to state returning officer Oliver Rudolf, 652,193 votes were cast. The voter turnout was 49.5 percent. Around 1.3 million people aged 16 and over were entitled to vote.
The red-green Senate, headed by First Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD), experienced a debacle like the Senate eleven years ago. At that time, the citizens had already decided against Hamburg’s application for the 2024 Games. At that time, 51.6 percent voted against, only 48.4 percent for. Voter turnout was even higher than this time at 50.2 percent.
After the vote, the city can no longer enter the national competition with Munich, the Rhine-Ruhr region with Cologne as the center and Berlin. The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) will decide on September 26th which candidate it will enter into the international application process.
Opponents of the Olympics see no positive effects on the city
In Hamburg, a broad alliance from politics, organized sport, business and culture supported the Olympics on the Alster and Elbe. The Left and the AfD, the “NOlympia” initiative and environmental protection associations, among others, spoke out against this.
In the weeks before the referendum, pro-advertising had dominated the cityscape with numerous celebrities on the posters. The opponents appeared more modest. The exhibitors from the “NOlympia” initiative and the Left were almost drowned in the flood of colors of the Hamburg Olympic campaign logo.
The no vote from the people of Hamburg is also a defeat for Mayor Tschentscher and his Senate. Tschentscher was conspicuously involved as an Olympic campaigner and champion. Since March he has been traveling around the city to get the population excited about the Olympics.
He always spoke about the great opportunity for the city and its people, about the economic opportunities, but also about the fact that Olympia would adapt to the city and not the city of Olympia. He pointed out that Hamburg’s concept was to plan games with short distances, that the competition venues were already there or were only being built temporarily.
That doesn’t convince the doubters. As in 2015, the opponents of the Olympics argued with incalculable financial risks as well as burdens on the population, the city and the environment due to traffic and construction work. The already high rents would continue to rise, and there would be no positive effects for popular sports.
