The German Olympic Committee (DOSB) has officially selected Munich to serve as the nation’s candidate city for an upcoming Summer Olympics bid, covering the 2036, 2040, or 2044 Games. The announcement was made by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Saturday in the spa town of Baden-Baden, concluding a rigorous selection process that narrowed the field from four initial contenders down to Munich and the Cologne/Rhine-Ruhr region.
Munich’s path to the nomination was solidified following the withdrawal of Hamburg in May and Berlin just last Thursday. A pivotal factor in Munich’s favor was a local referendum held in late 2025, where voters showed strong support for the bid. On a 44 percent turnout, 66.4 percent of participants voted in favor of hosting, a significant shift from previous failed attempts to bring the Games to German cities like Hamburg in 2024 or Munich for the 2022 Winter Games. On a turnout of 44 percent, almost two-thirds (66.4 percent) of voters cast their ballot in support of hosting the Games. With votes to host the 2022 Winter Games in Munich or the 2024 Summer Games in Hamburg failing to win support, the positive result was a stark contrast to previous Olympic referenda.
Bavarian state premier Markus Soeder welcomed the decision, emphasizing that the bid represents the entire country rather than just one region. “We’re thinking about all of Germany,” he remarked. “That’s our goal and what we’re working towards. Thank you for the trust.” Soeder also acknowledged the competitive nature of the selection, noting that the Cologne bid created a tense race until the final decision. And I warmly congratulate the state capital and the Free State of Bavaria on this,” he said, munich will enter the race on our behalf.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz offered his congratulations, stating that the country is ready for the Olympics. He praised the focus on presenting a united Germany from north to south and east to west, calling the potential of hosting a historic opportunity for the nation.
The current proposal centers on the Olympic Park in northern Munich. Originally constructed for the 1972 Games, the facility has undergone comprehensive renovations in recent years to modernize its infrastructure. This venue carries deep historical weight; the 1972 Olympics, held when Munich was part of West Germany, were tragically defined by the attack on the Israeli delegation in the Olympic Village that claimed the lives of 11 team members.
If successful, this would mark the third time Germany has hosted the Summer Olympics. The nation previously hosted in 1936 in Berlin under Nazi leadership, and the 1972 Munich Games. The only other Olympic event on German soil was the 1936 Winter Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Despite Germany having launched seven unsuccessful bids since 1972, officials remain optimistic about the new strategy. The DOSB is now preparing to enter a “continuous dialogue” phase with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ahead of a planned shortlisting process in March 2027.
The long-term roadmap involves the IOC designating one or more preferred hosts by late 2028. A final decision on which city and year will be selected is expected to be reached by the committee in mid-2029.
