From Hildburg Bruns
Berlin’s ruler Kai Wegner (51, CDU) has rings in his eyes. Five Olympic rings. At a meeting in the Red Town Hall, he signaled the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) the green light for an application.
1 p.m., Senate meeting room in the Red Town Hall. The meeting is not on any public calendar. Wegner and sports senator Iris Spranger (62, SPD) have a visitor from Frankfurt – DOSB CEO Torsten Burmester (59). Also representatives of the State Sports Association and the Berlin Sports Metropolis Initiative.
It’s about the national bid to host the Olympic Games. The DOSB relies on a multi-city concept. This means: A city or region should hold it with a partner city. In addition to Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and North Rhine-Westphalia have also expressed interest. There should be no new buildings specifically for the Olympics.
Since the games will take place in Paris in 2024, in Los Angeles in 2028 and in Australia in 2032, the earliest German application would be possible in 2036. Explosive because Hitler misused the games for his propaganda show exactly 100 years earlier.
While Wegner and Spranger have spoken out in the past in favor of 2036 as a conscious contrast of a colorful, open metropolis to the Nazi games, the former government Franziska Giffey brought 2040, four years later, into the conversation. Both dates were discussed in the small town hall group.
After the round, the governor and his sports senator told the BZ: “There is a great opportunity for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in Berlin and other regions of Germany. Berlin will be happy to participate in a national DOSB application.”
State sports association president Thomas Härtel (72) also agreed: “We expressly welcome that!” The DOSB wants to decide on December 2nd whether it will pursue a German application.