The winner is already clear before the discussion begins: Munich beats Leipzig and Hamburg. The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) had already stopped in both cities to talk to interested parties about the question of whether they should apply for the Olympic Games in the respective region. The response there, at least in terms of personnel, was clear. In this respect alone, the look into the Small Olympic Hall on Sunday lunchtime is interesting.
A good 250 visitors come to the discussion, far more than in Leipzig and Hamburg, and they hear some of the expected statements, but also a pretty clear picture of the mood.
Munich’s mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD), for example, says that he was initially not that enthusiastic about the question of another Olympic bid, after the previous ones had already been unsuccessful. But if the citizens decide in the end and there is still a little time for persuasion, he is in good spirits that he will be able to convince the people of Munich. It is well known that Munich can do the Olympics. And major events anyway. But Reiter can also easily imagine aiming for an application “with two to three German cities”, i.e. more of a German application.
And when it comes to sustainability, an increasingly important factor, Reiter only has to point outwards. “We have spent half a billion over the years to keep the Olympic Park in good condition.” Reiter would like an application, but “not one in which we write in what we believe the IOC wants to hear,” but rather what convinces the population and what they support. 40 percent of Munich residents are active in sports in a club, far more than the average.
Not far from Reiter is Marion Schöne, head of the Olympic Park and organizer of last year’s European Championships, which this afternoon is repeatedly highlighted as a positive example of a successful major sporting event. Schöne is also a big supporter of the application and says: “In my opinion, the two biggest factors for people are the costs and the IOC.” The International Olympic Committee, which enjoys a similarly good, or miserable, reputation as the world football association FIFA. Schöne says: “The games of 2036 are gone, I think. But I see opportunities for 2040.” The plan is to go to Mumbai in 2036, but Qatar is also being discussed for 2040.
As expected, Joachim Herrmann, Bavaria’s Interior Minister and responsible for sport, first praises the “Bavarian capital” and then wishes to “make the world an offer on how we imagine the Olympic Games to be organized in the 21st century.”
Almost everyone in the room would like to apply
At the beginning of the panel discussion, the first question in the room is who would like to apply. Almost all hands go up. Verena Bentele, a Paralympic participant richly decorated with gold medals and Vice President of the DOSB, raves about the atmosphere for the athletes. Young judoka Kilian Kappelmeier speaks of a dream. Sports journalist Markus Harm from ZDF sits on the podium as a spoilsport and explains why the population voted against the last attempt at the referendums for the 2022 Winter Games.
For many at the time, the Olympics and the IOC stood for gigantism, as was also seen in the “most absurd games, the ones in Sochi in 2014, which cost more than $50 billion.” Harm also gets the first round of applause when he uses the example of the awarding of the Football World Cup to Saudi Arabia, which has just been announced, to explain people’s skepticism about major sports associations.
No application at any price, there is consensus on that
In the end, Sunday afternoon brings a few insights. For example, that of Harm, who agrees that an application for the Winter Games would have better chances. Or the fact that Reiter is surprisingly vehemently against the winter games and promotes them in the summer. There is a consensus emerging among the predominantly sports-loving visitors, which Bentele sums up like this: “No application at any price.” Reiter says, taking up Herrmann’s verbal submission: “If we make an offer that is agreed with the citizens,” he sees an opportunity.
The question of whether the IOC will ultimately award games to Munich or Germany is one thing. But this afternoon you already have the impression: a good application, sustainable, self-confident, modern and close to people, could, even if it fails, change something for the better in the local sports landscape.