After Munich’s “yes” to an Olympic bid, it is the turn of the other German candidates. Will everyone stay in the race? What happens next with the application? We answer the most important questions.
Munich stated in the citizen survey that Hamburg and the Rhine-Ruhr region, with Cologne as the most important center, want to follow suit in the spring. The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), which will ultimately decide on the German candidate, has found all four concepts to be suitable. So what exactly happens next with the German application?
We talked about that with the Chairman of the Board of the German Olympic Sports Confederation Otto Fricke as well as BR sports reporter Tobias Barnerssoi spoken. BR reporter Moritz Steinbacher also classifies the question: What exactly does the city of Munich have to do now? You can find the live stream embedded above this article.
When will the other potential German applicants vote?
No citizen survey is planned in Berlin. At the end of May 2026, the people of Hamburg will be able to vote on whether their city should apply for the Olympic Games. The status of the Rhine-Ruhr candidate is that there will probably be a citizen survey on April 19, 2026.
When and how will it be decided who will run for Germany?
Only in just under a year will the DOSB decide at an extraordinary general meeting which of the German applicants it wants to send into an international candidate race. Munich submitted its two-thirds majority in favor of an application. It has not yet been decided that Hamburg and Rhine-Ruhr will also remain there – that will also depend on the votes there. Berlin, on the other hand, seems determined to throw its hat into the ring.
It is currently not entirely clear which criteria the DOSB uses to decide. The exact procedure will only be discussed at the DOSB general meeting on December 6, 2025 in Frankfurt am Main.
Otto Fricke, CEO of the DOSB, was delighted with the result of the vote in Munich. Above all, “that democracy can show that you are for it – and not just against something,” said the official in an interview with BR24 on BR television. He left it open whether Munich’s chances have increased compared to the other German Olympic applicants – Hamburg, Berlin and the Rhine-Ruhr region -: “It is certainly a great target for the city, and we now have to see how the other cities react in competition – not in a fight, but in a competition.”
Are there already international competitors for 2036, 2040 and 2044?
In fact, there are already a few countries that are considering applying for 2036. There is India, which is now the most populous country in the world and has never hosted an Olympic Games. Candidates are also being considered in the very liquid Gulf states of Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
And then there is Africa. The Olympic Games have never taken place on this continent. In addition, the new IOC President Kirsty Coventry comes from Zimbabwe. So it’s quite possible that Africa is at the top of the IOC wish list. Egypt/Cairo, which has already applied once, is very popular for African applications. Previous applications from Cape Town (South Africa) and Algiers (Algeria) have also been unsuccessful.
Realistically speaking, a German application for 2040 or even 2044 is more promising. But it is also a fact: since the turn of the millennium, no other continent has hosted more Olympic Games than Europe.
When will the IOC finally decide on the award?
It is not yet clear when and how the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will decide. A working group is currently discussing whether the procurement procedure, which is currently closed, should be reopened. The 2028 games have so far been awarded to Los Angeles and 2032 to Brisbane. In both cases, the IOC decided to only negotiate with one applicant.
Are there still hurdles that could prevent an application in Munich?
Normally not. A referendum is usually binding for local politics. The municipality or city is obliged to implement the result of the referendum unless it violates applicable law. This applies even if the current city leader Dieter Reiter (SPD) is not re-elected in the mayoral election on March 8, 2026 and an Olympic opponent is elected to office.
At the state or federal level, referendums are not binding. However, the Free State of Bavaria has made a clear commitment to Munich’s Olympic bid. As far as the federal government is concerned, it will accept the DOSB’s decision and support every German application.
Which Munich Olympic projects go into implementation?
So far there is only a rough concept that has not yet been finalized. Thanks to the “yes” vote in the referendum, the plans are now likely to be pushed forward. What is already running is that Renovation of the Olympic Stadiumwhich is scheduled to begin in 2026. The construction of a larger tennis stadium on the MTTC Iphitos facility has also been decided independently of an Olympic decision.
All other plans, such as the renovation of the rowing regatta course in Oberschleißheim that would be necessary in the event of an Olympic surcharge, remain on hold for the time being. This of course also applies to various infrastructure measures and the construction of the Olympic Village in the north of Munich.
In the video: Citizens’ decision – A clear yes to the Olympics in Munich
League leadership and relegation battle, current fixtures, results and live ticker, top scorer lists, mileage and tackle statistics and much more: Football in the BR24Sport results center.
Source: BR24 – Information in the evening October 27, 2025 – 6:30 p.m
