Munich won in the very first round of voting, and the result was noticeably more convincing than many participants had expected.
Munich will now seek the right to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036, 2040 or 2044 in the global bidding contest. If our bid is successful, Germany will host the Olympics for the first time since 1972, when the Games were also held in Munich. The City of Munich’s bid to host the Olympic Games will be submitted to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in the near future.
A Vote That Promised to Be Tense
The vote was secret, but in the corridors a favourite had already been named in advance. The DOSB commission rated both projects as “very good”, with the Munich bid scoring 87.03 points out of 100 and the Cologne bid 85.02. Delegates were able to make their choice in the first round.
Of the four cities and regions that prepared bids, only two reached the final. Hamburg dropped out of the race back in the spring, having lost a city referendum. Berlin withdrew its bid two days before the assembly. The Cologne and Rhine-Ruhr project lost the vote, although it received high marks for the spectacle of its presentation and the potential expected from ticket sales.
Why Munich Won the Delegates Over
The main arguments of the Munich concept are the short distances between competition venues and arenas already tested by the Olympics. According to the commission’s assessment, the journey between the athletes’ accommodation and the competition venues takes noticeably less time in Munich than in the competing projects.
The organisers plan to use mostly existing venues, including the 1972 Olympic Park:
- Olympic Stadium – opening and closing ceremonies, athletics;
- Olympic Hall and Olympic Park;
- Regatta course in Oberschleißheim;
- Equestrian centre in Riem.
Munich also has a political argument. At the city referendum on 26 October 2025, 66.4% of those who voted supported submitting a bid, and the 42% turnout was a record for local referendums. Around 1.1 million residents were eligible to vote; had the result been negative, the city would have withdrawn from the contest.
Munich Enters the Race
Lord Mayor Dominik Krause (Greens), as noted in a statement from City Hall, greeted the positive result with the words: “Munich is entering the race!” He described the vote as a big step on the road to a Summer Olympic Games in Munich and Bavaria. In his view, the concept that convinced the city’s residents last year has now convinced the entire sporting world of Germany.
Krause promised to carry out preparations at full strength together with the city’s residents, sports federations, business and politicians. He thanked the other contenders for fair competition and expressed the hope that support for the idea of the Games would continue in Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia.
Florian Kraus, head of City Hall’s Sports Department, called the day a wonderful one for Munich. “The concept,” he explained, “is based on existing facilities and links the Games with the city’s long-term development.” In his view, it provides impetus for innovation across the whole of Germany.
From National Selection to International Competition
The victory in Baden-Baden opens only the next stage of the contest. Together with the DOSB, the State of Bavaria and the federal government, the city must now turn a concept created for a domestic competition into a bid that will convince the international community.
The aim of the immediate work is to begin the so-called strategic dialogue with the IOC, which is expected in spring 2027. The IOC changed the procedure for international bids in June but has not yet described the details or provided explanations, so the project participants will have to prepare without knowing all the rules of the competition.
In the coming days and weeks, City Hall, together with the DOSB, the state and the federal government, will define the requirements for the overall concept and set up working structures and a coordination procedure among the participants. Details of the concept are due to be published in the second half of October.
Source: Municipality of Munich
