The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) is making a new attempt: the Olympic Games in Germany. He promises “new” games and seeks dialogue with the population before the application process begins. So far this has been rather mediocre. Opponents of the Olympics criticize the approach.
The Olympic Games in Germany – the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) has been dreaming of this for a long time. Attempts to organize what is probably the largest sporting event in the world have repeatedly failed, as recently happened in Hamburg and Munich. Particularly due to resistance from the population. Including the planned Rhine-Ruhr application in 2032, the DOSB has made seven unsuccessful attempts.
Everything new – that’s what the DOSB promises in its latest attempt to bring the Olympic Games to Germany. “We don’t have a fixed concept at this point, but rather a vision that we now want to further develop with the population, politicians, interested cities and regions.”said DOSB Vice President Kerstin Holze. The DOSB has launched a campaign under the slogan “Your ideas, your games” to involve people in the application process.
A platform is used to ask how Germany is thinking about a possible application.
In addition to digital offerings, the association comes into direct contact with citizens at events in Leipzig, Berlin, Munich, Düsseldorf and Hamburg. “We want an application that is supported by the population, then we have to talk to them”said Holze. “If it comes out that we don’t want that, then it’s very clear: then we won’t do it either.”
Opponents of the Olympics are irritated
The new initiative is causing irritation among Olympic opponents from Hamburg. Only eight years ago, the application for the Olympic Games was rejected by a referendum. “I think it’s a question of respect for democratic constitutional bodies and decisions, not to come around the corner again and again in such short intervals and then make any assurances.”says Dirk Seifert, one of the co-founders of the NOlympia movement in Hamburg. “I actually have no reason in Hamburg to have to deal again with the question of whether the DOSB has learned anything or not.”
Little response so far
The dialogue initiated by the DOSB has so far only been carried out among a specific target group in the sports bubble. At the beginning of October, less than a thousand people followed the “Your Ideas, Your Games” Instagram channel. The live streams of the digital specialist talks generally had double-digit viewer numbers. Panels of experts met nine times to discuss topics such as sustainability and future developments. It was rarely really controversial; most speakers found arguments for hosting the Olympic Games.
The first of five analogue dialogue forums in Leipzig also mainly brought together Olympic supporters. In a vote at the beginning of the event, 23 people in the audience voted for the event to be held in Germany, while only one person present voted against it. On the podium in the morning, DOSB Vice President Kerstin Holze, Leipzig Mayor Burkhard Jung, Leipzig member of the Bundestag and two-time Olympic track cycling champion Jens Lehmann and para-triathlete Martin Schulz discussed what games in Germany could look like.
Around 60 people sat in the audience during this time. “That doesn’t shock us at all. Those were the invited guests. One or two guests will definitely come by again and again.”said Stephan Brause, head of the DOSB Olympic Bid Department, during the event. “That’s what’s important to us. Not those who have already dealt with the topic, but those who spontaneously say ‘Oh, you’re doing something about the Olympics’ and authentically express their opinion.” Apart from the invited guests and journalists, only a few people actually find their way into the event hall in downtown Leipzig, which is only noticed from the outside by a small stand with DOSB flags.
Still a lot open
Offering dialogue is the right thing to do, but it also has to be accepted, explains Dr. Christoph Bertling, sports communication expert from the Sports University in Cologne. The fact that this is not currently the case is not surprising, “Because there is a very diffuse opinion at the moment. People will most likely deal with other socio-political things and not think so much about the Olympics.” There are still too few practical docking points and concrete decisions. Which year, which venues, possible costs – a lot of things are not yet concrete.
“It seems that we are still in a phase in which the dialogue cannot work because there are too few points of friction that we can work through concrete examples.” However, the low response should not be overestimated, says Bertling. “There’s certainly no one screaming for the Olympics right now, but that doesn’t mean they’re against it.”, said the communications expert. One cannot draw conclusions from one thing to the other. “People are not engaging in the dialogue, but we can’t say yet what the surveys will show later.”
The population should decide, but how?
How the opinion in society ultimately turns out will determine whether there will be another German Olympic bid or not. “We will not launch any application that does not have the broad support of the population”says Kerstin Holze. It is not yet clear how public opinion will be determined. This means: It is not yet clear whether it will be a referendum, a referendum, a survey, or something else.
This approach is met with dissatisfaction among critics. “I think that the DOSB is not at all in the role of deciding something like that. We have democratic institutions in Germany that are there for exactly such decision-making processes,” criticizes Ulf Treger. He also supported the NOlympia Hamburg initiative in 2015. Dirk Seifert says: “My impression is that the DOSB now wants new, different ways. They have learned twice, where – let me put it casually – they fell on their faces through citizen surveys. And now they are trying to do it differently. Without a clear commitment to referendums or Referendums, I would say, you don’t even need to start such a process. Because then there is of course always the concern that in the end we will work with some threadbare majority interpretations.”
DOSB promises “new” games
The DOSB promises to involve citizens, to accept criticism and refers to the reform process of the IOC’s Agenda 2020 and 2020+5. “Reform processes like those initiated by the IOC always require a small amount of trust, that’s clear. We’re giving that. There are initial indicators that it’s taking effect.”says Stephan Brause. The application process is now more cost-effective and the sustainability of applications is receiving more attention. For example, not only cities but regions could apply.
“The host used to have to adapt to the games, now the games adapt to the host. The new contract and the award criteria also clearly address issues such as sustainability, compliance with human rights and reducing costs goes”, says Vice President Holze. There are “new” Olympic Games that people are now applying for.
“I don’t find that credible”says Ulf Treger. He refers to the Olympic Charter: “It says that every applicant country and every applicant city has the obligation to completely submit to what the IOC Executive Committee deems necessary in order to push through the games. If the DOSB now says that they would pursue participatory approaches, then that can be done In our opinion, they actually only serve to increase the acceptance of the application and not to fundamentally change the direction of the application and make it more sustainable, more socially acceptable and more ecological.”said Treger.
The first results of the dialogue are to be presented at the DOSB general meeting at the beginning of December. Then a decision should be made as to how to proceed.