In a nation still shaped by the memory of division and reunion, Munich has been chosen to carry Germany's hopes for a future Olympic Summer Games — in 2036, 2040, or 2044. The Bavarian capital, which last welcomed the world in 1972, emerged as the country's official candidate after Berlin withdrew following a political realignment, leaving Munich to face a rival bid from the Rhine-Ruhr region. Behind the vote lies a deeper question about what it means for a country to present itself to the world, and when — with Sports Minister Ronald Rauhe quietly suggesting that 2040, the fiftieth anniversar
Munich selected as Germany's Olympic bid city for 2036, 2040 or 2044
Bringing the Olympic Games back to Germany matters most of all
Mark
So Munich gets to represent Germany. But why did Berlin drop out so suddenly?
Mimi
The Left Party won Berlin's elections last weekend, and their lead candidate, Elif Eralp, made it clear she didn't support the Olympic bid. That was enough to pull the city out of the race.
Luke
Right, but we should be careful here—we know the Left Party won and we know Eralp opposed the bid. We don't have her detailed reasoning on the record, so we're inferring the causation.
Mark
Fair point. So now it's Munich versus Rhine-Ruhr. What's the actual difference between the two proposals?
Mimi
Munich would stage almost everything in Bavaria, except football in Stuttgart and sailing in Kiel. Rhine-Ruhr claimed they could sell 17.6 million tickets—more than any previous Games.
Luke
That's a projection from North Rhine-Westphalia officials, not an independent assessment. It's their estimate of what's possible, not a confirmed fact.
Mark
And Munich has hosted before, right?
Mimi
Yes, in 1972. They've also tried twice for the Winter Games and lost both times. This is their third serious bid in recent decades.
Mark
What about the minister's preference for 2040?
Mimi
Ronald Rauhe, the Sports Minister, said 2040 would be meaningful because it marks fifty years since reunification. He grew up in Berlin and sees symbolic value in that date.
Luke
He said it's his personal favorite, but he also said the most important thing is just getting the Games back to Germany at all. So that's his preference, not a binding decision.
Mark
So Munich could still bid for 2036 or 2044 instead?
Mimi
Exactly. The German Olympic Committee chose Munich to bid for any of those three years. The actual year will be decided later in the process.
El Pulso
- Berlin's sudden withdrawal — triggered by a Left Party election victory and an incoming mayor openly opposed to the bid — compressed a three-way race into two contenders almost overnight.
- The Rhine-Ruhr consortium pressed its case hard, projecting a record-breaking 17.6 million ticket sales, a number designed to signal that Germany's industrial heartland could outscale any rival.
- Munich countered with history and coherence: an Olympic city once before, with a compact Bavarian plan and only two venues — Stuttgart for football, Kiel for sailing — reaching beyond its home region.
- Sports Minister Rauhe, an Olympic champion himself, urged the committee to choose the city with the strongest international prospects, framing the vote as a matter of national responsibility rather than regional pride.
- Munich's selection is only the opening move — the city must now persuade the International Olympic Committee in a field that spans multiple nations and three still-unclaimed Summer Games.
In a nation still shaped by the memory of division and reunion, Munich has been chosen to carry Germany's hopes for a future Olympic Summer Games — in 2036, 2040, or 2044. The Bavarian capital, which last welcomed the world in 1972, emerged as the country's official candidate after Berlin withdrew following a political realignment, leaving Munich to face a rival bid from the Rhine-Ruhr region. Behind the vote lies a deeper question about what it means for a country to present itself to the world, and when — with Sports Minister Ronald Rauhe quietly suggesting that 2040, the fiftieth anniversary of German reunification, might be the moment most worthy of the gesture.
Munich will carry Germany's bid to host the Olympic Summer Games in 2036, 2040, or 2044, after the German Olympic Sports Confederation chose the Bavarian capital over a Rhine-Ruhr consortium anchored in Cologne. The decision came quickly in the wake of Berlin's withdrawal — a departure triggered by the Left Party's victory in the capital's recent elections. The party's likely incoming mayor, Elif Eralp, had made her opposition to the Olympic bid plain, and Berlin stepped aside within days.
Munich brings Olympic memory to the table: it hosted the Summer Games in 1972 and has twice pursued the Winter Olympics without success. Its current proposal keeps nearly all events within Bavaria, with football in Stuttgart and sailing in Kiel as the only exceptions. The Rhine-Ruhr bid offered a different kind of ambition — officials from North Rhine-Westphalia projected up to 17.6 million ticket sales, a figure they claimed would surpass any previous Games.
Sports Minister Ronald Rauhe, a former Olympic champion, urged the committee to weigh international competitiveness above regional loyalty. He has also signaled a personal preference for 2040 — the year that would mark the fiftieth anniversary of German reunification. Having grown up in Berlin and witnessed the fall of the Wall as a child, Rauhe sees in that anniversary a chance to send 'a great signal that also aligns with the values of the Olympic Games.' President Frank-Walter Steinmeier echoed the sentiment, describing an Olympic bid as a chance for Germany to show itself as 'a land of opportunity.'
For all the symbolism, Rauhe was careful to keep the goal in view: 'Ultimately, one thing matters above all — bringing the Olympic and Paralympic Games back to our country. No matter when.' Munich's selection is the first step in a longer international campaign, with the IOC still to be persuaded and other nations already in the field.
Munich will represent Germany in the race to host the Olympic Summer Games in 2036, 2040, or 2044. The German Olympic Sports Confederation announced the decision on Saturday, selecting the Bavarian capital over a rival bid from the Rhine-Ruhr region centered on Cologne. The choice came after Berlin, which had been in contention until Thursday, withdrew from the running following a political shift in the German capital's recent elections.
Berlin's exit from the race was swift and decisive. The city's mayor announced the withdrawal after the socialist Left Party won the German capital's elections the previous weekend. Elif Eralp, the party's lead candidate and likely incoming mayor, made clear she did not support Berlin's Olympic ambitions. That decision left Munich and the Rhine-Ruhr consortium as the only two serious contenders for Germany's endorsement.
Munich arrives at this moment with Olympic history already written into its landscape. The city hosted the Summer Games in 1972 and has twice before attempted to secure the Winter Olympics, in 2018 and 2022, without success. This bid represents another chance to return to the global stage. According to Munich's proposal, nearly all competitions would be staged within Bavaria, with two notable exceptions: football matches would be held in Stuttgart, and sailing events would take place in Kiel in the north.
The Rhine-Ruhr alternative presented its own appeal. Officials from North Rhine-Westphalia claimed their bid could generate as many as 17.6 million ticket sales—a figure they said would exceed any previous Olympic Games. That projection underscored the scale of what either German city was proposing to undertake.
Sports Minister Ronald Rauhe, himself a former Olympic champion, framed the decision as one that demanded careful calculation. "We have an international task to fulfill and must enter the race with the city or region that gives Germany the greatest chances internationally," he said before the vote. "The decision on that is made by sport, and I assume that it will make it with a great deal of responsibility." President Frank-Walter Steinmeier added that an Olympic bid represented a significant opportunity for Germany to demonstrate itself as "a land of opportunity" to the world.
Rauhe has already signaled a preference for the 2040 Games specifically. That year would mark the fiftieth anniversary of German reunification, and the minister sees symbolic weight in that alignment. "2040 will mark the 50th anniversary of reunification. Here we could send a great signal that also aligns with the values of the Olympic Games," he told the German news agency dpa. Speaking from personal experience—he grew up in Berlin and witnessed the fall of the Wall as a schoolchild—Rauhe described the moment when "two population groups that had been separated become a community again" as something the Olympic Games could help commemorate. Yet he was careful to temper his preference with pragmatism: "Ultimately, though, one thing matters above all: bringing the Olympic and Paralympic Games back to our country. No matter when."
Munich now enters a competitive international process. The city will need to make its case to the International Olympic Committee, which will evaluate bids from other nations as well. The next three Summer Games—2036, 2040, and 2044—remain open, and Munich's selection as Germany's official candidate is only the first step in a longer campaign.
Citas Notables
We have an international task to fulfill and must enter the race with the city or region that gives Germany the greatest chances internationally.— Sports Minister Ronald Rauhe
2040 will mark the 50th anniversary of reunification. Here we could send a great signal that also aligns with the values of the Olympic Games.— Sports Minister Ronald Rauhe
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