OlympiYES! Munich’s citizens have clearly spoken out in favor of their city applying for the Summer Olympics.
In a referendum on Sunday, around 62 percent of the votes were “yes” according to initial counts; voter turnout was more than 39 percent, higher than in any other referendum in the Bavarian capital. 33.7 percent of the approximately 1.1 million eligible voters alone voted by postal vote.
Munich “clearly voted yes,” emphasized Mayor Dieter Reiter. “A dream result,” said Jörg Ammon, President of the Bavarian State Sports Association (BLSV).
Munich, host of the 1972 Summer Games, was the first of the four German applicants to appeal for democratic support from the population. The yes from the people of Munich should also bring relief to the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB). After all, the previous seven German applications for summer or winter games had failed, sometimes painfully early: a negative referendum in Munich and three districts and municipalities in 2013 abruptly ended any ambitions for the 2022 Winter Games.
DOSB wants to decide in the fall
Munich has been considered promising in the national competition since the concepts were submitted in May at the latest. The city’s concept currently appears to be mature compared to its German competitors Berlin, Rhine-Ruhr and Hamburg. A referendum on the Rhine and Ruhr is expected to take place on April 19, 2026, and in Hamburg it is planned for May 31, 2026.
The core of possible games in Munich should be the Olympic Park and the sports facilities from 1972, although some halls and arenas would also have to be built temporarily.
According to the current status, the German applicant for the 2036, 2040 or 2044 Summer Games will be chosen at an extraordinary DOSB general meeting in autumn 2026. A vote is apparently possible; according to its chairman Otto Fricke, the DOSB does not want to give the delegates “any requirements”. The DOSB sends the winner into the race with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
However, the national application process has already cost millions at this point; implementing the council request alone cost the city of Munich around 6.7 million euros. 1.8 million euros of this went into an information campaign.