Berlin bids to host 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Berlin has formally presented its bid to host the Olympics in 2036, 2040, or 2044 at the historic Olympiastadion, where the 1936 Nazi Games took place. The plan focusses on sustainability through the use of existing venues and support from multiple German states.

Berlin Sports Minister Iris Spranger outlined the city's vision for sustainable Olympic and Paralympic Games, emphasizing the use of existing sports facilities. The bid includes plans to host beach volleyball at the Brandenburg Gate and water sports in Grünau, the same riverside location used during the 1936 Games.

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The proposal to utilize the former Tempelhof airport may face opposition from locals who previously rejected development plans for the popular city park in a 2014 referendum. "You'll have to be patient," said Spranger, acknowledging that the bid remains in its conceptual phase. The initiative faces resistance from many Berliners, with a group called 'NOlympia Berlin' planning to force a referendum to block the bid.

Similar Olympic bids in Germany have previously failed, with Munich's 2022 Winter Games and Hamburg's 2024 Summer Games hopes defeated by public referendums.



Spranger expressed opposition to a referendum, stating: "I prefer dialogue with one another. Not just yes or no, but that the public really knows what we're planning." Local Green party politician Klara Schedlich criticized the bid, saying: "Our tax money is better spent on sports clubs than the IOC."

The bid, titled "Berlin+" has garnered support from Brandenburg, Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Schleswig-Holstein states and must be presented to the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) before the month ends.

International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons welcomed the potential bid, saying, "The more quality bids we have to work with, the better. We can compare different Games propositions... the different visions for different Games going to different parts of the world. So if they put together a good bid, I think it's very welcome."


Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner addressed the historical significance of potentially hosting the 2036 Games: "I believe that the 2036 Games, regardless of where they take place, will also focus on the Nazi Games of 1936. That's part of history and attention will be paid to it. I have to tell you, I'm proud to be the governing mayor of a city that has changed in the last 100 years, that we no longer stand for dictatorship, exclusion, and mass violence, but that Berlin is now a cosmopolitan, international metropolis, a colorful, diverse city."

The DOSB will consider bids for 2040 from other German cities including Munich, Hamburg, and North Rhine-Westphalia. A final decision is expected by the fall of 2026.

The presentation took place in Berlin's Olympiastadion, which holds historical significance as the venue where Adolf Hitler witnessed Jesse Owens win four gold medals in 1936.

The stadium, with a capacity of 100,000 seats, was constructed under Hitler's supervision after the Nazis gained power in 1933, two years after Berlin was awarded the Games.