Munich has been selected as the city to bid for the Olympic Games in 2036, 2040, or 2044, as announced by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) on Saturday. Berlin, which had been in contention, withdrew from the bidding process on Thursday.
Former Olympic champion and current Sports Minister Ronald Rauhe stated, "We have an international task to fulfill and must enter the race with the city or region that gives Germany the greatest chances internationally. The decision on that is made by sport, and I assume that it will make it with a great deal of responsibility."
Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier remarked that the Olympic bid represents a significant opportunity for Germany to demonstrate its potential as a land of opportunity.
The Munich bid proposes that all competitions will take place in Bavaria, with the exception of football matches in Stuttgart and sailing events in Kiel. Munich and a bid led by Cologne in the Rhine-Ruhr region were the only two cities in the running.
The premier of North Rhine-Westphalia noted that the Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr bid could sell as many as 17.6 million tickets, which would be a record for the Games.
Munich had previously hosted the Summer Olympics in 1972 and had two unsuccessful bids for the Winter Games in 2018 and 2022. Berlin's withdrawal from the bid followed the recent electoral victory of the socialist Left Party in the city, with lead candidate Elif Eralp expressing opposition to the bid.
On Friday, Sports Minister Rauhe indicated support for a German Olympic bid for the 2040 Games, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of German reunification. He expressed a personal connection to this date, stating, "Based on my personal history, 2040 would be my favorite date. That has to do with the fact that I'm a Berlin child. As a schoolchild, I experienced what happens to people when a wall falls, when people grow together again, when two population groups that had been separated become a community again."
Rauhe concluded, "Ultimately, though, one thing matters above all: bringing the Olympic and Paralympic Games back to our country. No matter when."