Possible Olympic bid
DOSB: Criticism of the return of the Russians is not a disadvantage
Director of competitive sports at the DOSB: Olaf Tabor. photo
© Tobias Hase/German Alpine Club DAV/dpa
The German sports umbrella organization is considering a renewed application for the Olympics – although it has opposed a recommendation by the IOC for the return of Russian athletes.
The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) does not expect any disadvantage for the intended application for the Olympic Games due to its negative attitude towards the re-admission of Russian athletes to international competitions.
“We are all in a situation that has arisen for more than a year and to which we have taken a clear position,” said Olaf Tabor, director of competitive sports at the DOSB, the German press agency on the sidelines of the European Games in Poland. “We do not assume that our current political positioning will have a lasting effect on our application ambitions for events in thirteen or seventeen years.”
Publicly opposed to IOC
With its position, the DOSB had publicly opposed the recommendation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow athletes back into world sport under certain criteria, despite the ongoing Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Russia and Belarus are excluded from the European games until July 2nd.
The German umbrella organization decided at the end of last year to start a process for an Olympic application and set up a staff unit for this purpose. “We have been working intensively on the basics since the decision of the general meeting and will start a dialogue initiative with different formats at the beginning of July,” announced Tabor. “We have just informed the Team D athletes, the actual promoters of the Olympic idea.”
From his point of view, a successful application for the Olympics would be a great benefit for German sport. “It would make almost everything we wish for and what we are currently working on easier, because you can generate a lot more attention with such a flagship event,” explained Tabor. “It would give us additional impetus for projects that are of importance to our society that should not be underestimated, regardless of the Olympic Games in Germany.”
Most recently, Munich for 2022 (winter) and Hamburg for 2024 (summer) were unsuccessful with their Olympic attempts. A new candidacy would be conceivable for the 2034 or 2038 Winter Games and for the 2036 or 2040 Summer Games.