Bringing the magic of 1972 back to Munich—that’s the city’s dream. But the Bavarian capital isn’t alone in this. Other German cities also vied for the chance to enter the international race by submitting a bid to host the Summer Olympic Games. After Hamburg first withdrew its bid, followed a few days ago by Berlin’s last-minute withdrawal, today’s showdown in Baden-Baden came down to just Cologne and Munich. Our city had already held a slight lead going in and has now officially been awarded the bid: Munich is bidding on behalf of Germany to host the Olympic Games.
The Olympic dream is getting closer
Munich had already secured public support following the referendum last October, and the city on the Isar also held a slight lead in the preliminary rankings. However, only two points separated Munich and Cologne in the preliminary evaluation, so the outcome remained uncertain until the very end. At today’s special meeting of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), a decision was finally made on the final Olympic candidate.
A total of 144 votes were cast in the secret and anonymous ballot. Eligible to vote were the 42 national Olympic federations, each of which had three votes, as well as the ten members of the DOSB Executive Committee and eight individual members, each with one vote. In the end, Munich prevailed over Cologne and the Rhine-Ruhr region with an absolute majority.
Munich’s Olympic Bid: What’s Next
After Munich recently succeeded in securing the 2031 World Athletics Championships and the 2028 Champions League Final, the award of the Olympic bid marked another (partial) success. Should the Bavarian capital indeed be allowed to host the 2036, 2040, or 2044 Olympics, it would be the first time since 1972 that the Games would be held in Germany again —and at the same location! In addition, the Paralympic Games would make their debut in Munich, as they were previously held in Heidelberg in the 1970s.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will decide on the host city, and the next step is to convince the IOC. The IOC will announce an initial shortlist of potential host cities in March 2027. By then, Munich must develop a more concrete plan and be able to present financial guarantees. The final decision on the host city will be made in 2029.
