Germany Considers Hosting Olympics After 50-Year Hiatus

The host country of the 1972 Summer Olympics is considering bidding to become a host once again.

“We are thinking about [the] Olympic Games in Germany — winter or summer,” German Olympic Committee president Thomas Weikert said, adding that the committee will first talk to its members.

Weikert is “convinced” the members will be on board, but past attempts to bring the Games back to the country have failed.

• Previous bids or plans for Berlin, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich, and the Rhein-Ruhr region to host have all drawn opposition.
• Costs, local benefits, and the IOC’s refusal to pay taxes have all been reasons for the resistance. 
• Beijing reportedly spent roughly $8.8 billion on the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Germany hosts the European Championships from Aug. 11 to Aug. 21. The event includes nine sports, including Olympic sports like cycling, gymnastics, and rowing. 

Weikert said the Olympic committee would be able to “build on” the European Championships, though specific cities will not be proposed — instead, a plan will “need to be followed in order for one candidate to eventually emerge from this domestic process.” 

Olympic Agenda

It’s unclear when Germany would want to host any Olympics games. 

The winter games have hosts set for 2026 (Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy) and the summer games are filled until 2032 (Paris, Los Angeles, Brisbane). Japan’s Sapporo is the reported favorite for the 2030 Winter Olympics.

“We will issue a timeframe at the next general assembly in December,” Weikert said.