Munich Olympic Bid: Germany Picks Munich for 2036, 2040 or 2044

Munich. At an extraordinary general assembly in Baden-Baden on Saturday, September 26, 2026, the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) selected Munich as Germany's candidate to host the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and DOSB President Thomas Weikert announced the result live on German TV. Sources: DOSB, Reuters, Al Jazeera.

Munich won a secret ballot in the first round, 91 votes to 50, against a Cologne-led bid from the Rhine-Ruhr region. Votes were held by the 42 Olympic sports federations (three each), the DOSB executive board and individual DOSB members, 141 votes in total. The DOSB's own evaluation had the two projects almost level: 87.03 points for Munich, 85.02 for Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr. Sources: sportschau.de, GamesBids.

Not specifically. Munich's referendum and the DOSB process cover the Summer Games of 2036, 2040 or 2044, and Germany has not yet chosen a target year. The DOSB says it will decide based on the international competition and its talks with the IOC. Headlines calling it a "Munich 2036" bid are getting ahead of the process. Sources: DOSB, sportschau.de.

The IOC plans to elect the 2036 host in mid-2029. Under its revised process, the IOC Executive Board will pick a shortlist from the ongoing *Continuous Dialogue* in March 2027 for a *Strategic Dialogue* stage, then open a *Targeted Dialogue* with one or more preferred hosts in late 2028, before a vote by the IOC Session. No timeline exists yet for 2040 or 2044. Sources: IOC, NBC Sports, GamesBids.

Ahmedabad (India) and Doha (Qatar) have the most advanced campaigns for 2036. Other possible bidders for 2036 or later include Istanbul, Budapest, Santiago, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Egypt, Spain and Italy, according to GamesBids. How many will formally enter is not yet known. Sources: GamesBids, ZDF.

Hamburg was eliminated by a referendum on May 31, 2026, when 54.9% of voters rejected an Olympic bid (turnout 49.6%). Berlin withdrew its "Berlin+" project two days before the DOSB vote, after the Left party, which opposes the bid, came first in the Berlin state election. Sources: hamburg.de, Reuters, ZDF.

Yes. In a citizens' referendum on October 26, 2025, 66.4% (305,349 votes) backed a bid for the 2036, 2040 or 2044 Summer Games, against 33.6%. Turnout was 42%, a record for a Munich referendum. It reversed the 2013 vote in which Munich rejected a 2022 Winter Olympics bid. Sources: City of Munich (official result), ZDF.

The plan reuses the 1972 Olympic legacy: the Olympiastadion for the opening and closing ceremonies and athletics, plus the Olympiahalle and Olympiapark, the rowing course at Oberschleißheim and the equestrian site at Riem, with temporary arenas at the trade fair and the Theresienwiese. The city says about 90% of venues are within 30 km of the Olympiapark. Football would be played partly in Stuttgart and sailing held in Kiel. Sources: City of Munich, Abendzeitung, ZDF.

No total budget has been published yet. Early figures include about €930 million for temporary venues, up to €99 million for the rowing course and €50 million for the shooting range, plus transport projects such as an €1.2 billion metro extension to a new Olympic Village in north-east Munich. Critics say the funding of that infrastructure is still unclear. Source: Abendzeitung München.

2036 would mark 100 years since the Berlin 1936 Games, staged by the Nazi regime as propaganda. When a German 2036 bid was first floated in 2021, then Interior Minister Horst Seehofer called it "unthinkable". That is one reason the DOSB has kept 2040 and 2044 on the table. Having Munich rather than Berlin as the candidate softens the issue but does not remove it. Sources: Around the Rings, Cicero.

Yes, the 1972 Summer Olympics, the last Summer Games held in Germany, remembered also for the attack on the Israeli team. Munich later failed twice with Winter Games bids: 2018 (lost to Pyeongchang) and 2022 (stopped by a local referendum). Germany has mounted several unsuccessful Olympic bids since 1972. Sources: Al Jazeera, GamesBids.