Hamburg said no to an Olympic bid, Germany's race remains down to three candidates
Hamburg is no longer part of Germany's race to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036, 2040 or 2044 after a majority of voters rejected continuing the bid in a referendum held on 31 May 2026. According to the provisional result published by the official election portal of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, 54.9 percent of voters voted against the proposal, while 45.1 percent supported the German Olympic Sports Confederation, DOSB, entering the international process with Hamburg as a venue. This means that the project, which the city authorities had presented as an opportunity for sustainable Games in an urban environment with existing infrastructure, lost the political and democratic foundation needed to continue the national competition.
The result changes the balance of power in the German Olympic process. Instead of four candidates, DOSB is left in the final part of the national selection with Munich, Berlin and the Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr region, and the decision on Germany's representative before the International Olympic Committee is scheduled for 26 September 2026. According to DOSB, Germany does not have to commit at this stage to one specific edition of the Games, but wants to prepare a concept for a period in which Europe will again be considered for hosting. That is why 2036, 2040 and 2044 are mentioned in the same process, while the final host will depend on the IOC's later process.
Majority voted against, turnout almost 50 percent
According to data from Statistikamt Nord and Hamburg's election portal, 652,603 of a total of 1,315,800 eligible voters cast ballots in the referendum, meaning turnout was 49.6 percent. The official results table lists 357,911 votes against and 293,819 votes in favor, with 651,730 valid and 873 invalid ballots. For the proposal to succeed, it needed more votes in favor than against and at least 262,609 votes of support, or 20 percent of the electorate according to the 2025 Hamburg Parliament election. The support threshold was reached, but a majority was not achieved, so the proposal did not pass.
Hamburg's Ministry of the Interior and Sport reported that voting proceeded peacefully and properly and that there were no special incidents that would have affected the conduct of the referendum. According to the same statement, approximately 6,000 volunteers took part in polling and postal vote committees, and the provisional result was published before 9 p.m. on the day of the vote. The final result, according to the announcement by Hamburg's election administration, should be determined by the Senate after checks of district records, scheduled for 23 June 2026.
For Hamburg, the outcome is particularly significant because it is the second rejection of an Olympic bid in a little more than a decade. In 2015, the city also rejected in a referendum the continuation of its bid for the 2024 Olympic Games, then in favor of a project that was supposed to compete in the international race in which hosting rights ultimately went to Paris. This time too, opponents warned about costs, the risks of major infrastructure projects and long-term consequences for the city, while supporters emphasized the possibility of investment in sport, public space, transport and accessibility. Sunday's result shows that arguments about long-term benefits were not enough to overturn the voters' majority skepticism.
DOSB must choose without Hamburg
The German Olympic Sports Confederation had previously included four concepts in the national process: Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr. According to DOSB's description of the process, the candidates first submitted concepts, then were given the opportunity to verify local support through referendums, and in the final phase the projects are to be compared according to an evaluation matrix. DOSB states that a positive referendum is not a formal requirement of the International Olympic Committee, but that the confederation respects the decision of local authorities if they want or must carry out such a procedure in order to ensure democratic legitimacy. In Hamburg's case, the political message from voters practically closes the space for continuing the bid.
The national decision is scheduled for an extraordinary DOSB general assembly on 26 September 2026. Until then, the remaining candidates will try to convince the sports confederation that their concept has the best combination of international competitiveness, financial feasibility, public support, existing infrastructure and long-term benefit for sport. Hamburg's exit from the race does not mean Germany is giving up on its Olympic ambitions, but it narrows the choice and increases pressure on the remaining projects to clearly show how the Games would be organized without repeating the problems that have triggered public resistance in earlier European bids.
According to DOSB, the next formal step toward the IOC would be entry into the so-called continuous dialogue, the initial phase of the reformed international host selection process. This process allows potential hosts to develop projects in cooperation with the IOC without being immediately tied to just one year of staging. In its own description of the process, the IOC states that political, environmental, socioeconomic, developmental and human rights contexts are taken into account when assessing potential hosts, as well as data on public opinion and possible environmental impact.
Munich enters with strong referendum support
After Hamburg's rejection, Munich remains the candidate with the clearest expression of local support. According to DOSB, Munich residents supported on 26 October 2025, with 66.4 percent of votes in a referendum, the intention for the city to bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In its concept, the Bavarian capital emphasizes the legacy of the 1972 Games, the existing Olympic Park, short distances and the idea of a shared Olympic Village for athletes. Such a narrative gives Munich a recognizable international story, but at the same time raises the question of how to combine historical legacy with the needs of modern, financially and environmentally sustainable Games.
Munich's advantage in the national process could lie in the fact that local support has already been confirmed by a clear majority and that the city has sports venues strongly linked to Olympic history. But that in itself does not decide the race. DOSB will, according to its own announcements, also assess international persuasiveness, economic sustainability and the broader impact of the bid. In addition, hosting the Summer Games requires a much broader undertaking than simply using existing stadiums, including transport, accommodation, security, media capacities, accessibility and Paralympic infrastructure.
Munich's political context is also sensitive because earlier Olympic attempts in Bavaria encountered resistance, especially in debates about the Winter Games. That is why the current support represents an important shift, but also an obligation not to move the project away from the conditions under which it received citizens' support. If DOSB chooses Munich, Germany's bid could emphasize continuity, sporting legacy and the use of already familiar spaces to the international public. If, however, the confederation judges that a broader regional or metropolitan concept is needed for future Games, Berlin or Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr could gain the advantage.
Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr counts on a regional model and a broad base
The Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr region remains in the race with a model that differs from a classic single-city bid. After the referendum in North Rhine-Westphalia, DOSB reported that, according to the provisional overall result from the participating municipalities, support for the project amounted to 66.0 percent. In 17 municipalities with voting rights, there were more than four million citizens over the age of 16, and approximately 1.4 million people voted. DOSB also stated that the overall result, calculated according to the democratic principle of one person, one vote, will be included in the evaluation matrix for the national selection.
Such a regional approach could be an advantage because competitions can be distributed across several existing venues in a densely populated and well-connected area. Cologne stands out as the central point of the bid, but the project covers the wider Rhine and Ruhr area, a region with a large number of sports clubs, stadiums, arenas and urban centers. According to DOSB, even Herten, planned in a pair with Recklinghausen for mountain biking, had a majority in favor of the project, but there the required quorum of 15 percent was not reached. This detail shows that the regional model brings a broad base, but also more complex political and administrative coordination.
For DOSB, Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr could be an argument that modern Games can be organized in a decentralized way, with less pressure on one city and greater reliance on existing infrastructure. At the same time, such a model must convincingly answer questions of logistics, transport of athletes and spectators, security coordination and the experience of the Games as a single event. In recent years, the IOC has encouraged more flexible and sustainable bids, but it still requires clear organizational responsibility and predictability. For that reason, the regional concept will have to show that the advantages of distribution do not create weaknesses in governance.
Berlin competes without a referendum, but with a political decision
Berlin took an important step in May 2026 when the city Senate unanimously supported the Berlin+ concept. According to the official Berlin.de announcement, the concept for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036, 2040 or 2044 starts from the claim that 97 percent of the necessary sports venues are already available. Berlin's plan envisages organizational costs of 4.82 billion euros and expected revenues of 5.24 billion euros, with Senator for the Interior and Sport Iris Spranger stating that a surplus of approximately 420 million euros would be directed to schools and grassroots sport. These figures are part of the political argument in favor of the bid, but would have to undergo additional scrutiny in the national evaluation.
Unlike Munich, Hamburg and part of North Rhine-Westphalia, Berlin is not planning a referendum on its Olympic bid. According to the city authorities' announcement, the project continues through a political decision, and the bid is presented as a combination of sport, culture and urban experience. The plan mentions an Olympic route from the Olympic Stadium through the city to Tempelhofer Feld, which would be the venue for the opening ceremony, as well as symbolic interventions in public space, including the Brandenburg Gate. Such an approach gives Berlin a strong visual and historical dimension, but also opens a more demanding debate on public legitimacy because citizens will not vote directly on the project.
Berlin also carries a special historical burden because of the 1936 Games, held during Nazi Germany. A possible bid for 2036, the hundredth anniversary of those Games, would be internationally very sensitive and would require a clear explanation, a democratic framework and a carefully shaped message. Berlin supporters of the bid are trying to present the project as a portrayal of modern, open and democratic Germany, but DOSB will have to assess whether such a symbolic framework is an advantage or a risk in the international process. If Berlin is not tied to 2036, but to a later edition, part of the historical pressure could be eased, but not completely removed.
Hamburg's result shows the limits of Olympic optimism
The rejection in Hamburg is also important because it comes at a time when many sports federations and cities are invoking IOC reforms, more sustainable budgets and greater use of existing infrastructure. Hamburg supporters of the bid used precisely these arguments in the campaign, emphasizing sports infrastructure, mobility, accessibility and the possibility of long-term urban development. Still, voters mostly concluded that the benefits were not convincing enough or that the risks were too high. The referendum therefore shows that the reformed Olympic process does not automatically remove distrust toward major sporting events.
For DOSB, the message is twofold. On the one hand, Germany still has three serious projects, of which Munich and Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr have received direct voter confirmation, and Berlin political support from the city authorities. On the other hand, Hamburg is a reminder that an Olympic bid without a stable public mandate can become a political burden. In the international race, this is not a secondary issue because the IOC increasingly observes social acceptability, environmental responsibility and project sustainability as part of the overall assessment of a potential host.
Until the September decision, the German debate will probably focus on which concept best combines feasibility and a convincing story. Munich offers a recognizable Olympic legacy and a referendum majority. Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr offers regional breadth, a large population base and the distribution of competitions across several urban centers. Berlin offers the capital city, existing venues and a strong symbolic framework, but without referendum confirmation. Hamburg, after the vote on 31 May, is outside that circle, and its result will remain a warning that hosting the Games can no longer be built only on sporting prestige, but also on the trust of citizens who need to accept the consequences of such a project.
Sources:
- Statistikamt Nord / Hamburg election portal – provisional referendum result, number of votes, turnout, quorum and electorate (link)
- Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Ministry of the Interior and Sport – statement on the conduct of the referendum, turnout and further procedure for determining the final result (link)
- German Olympic Sports Confederation, DOSB – description of the national process, candidate concepts and planned selection of the German candidate (link)
- DOSB – data on referendums in the Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr region and Kiel and announcement of the extraordinary general assembly decision on 26 September 2026 (link)
- Berlin.de – official announcement on the Berlin Senate's support for the Berlin+ concept and basic financial estimates of the bid (link)
- International Olympic Committee, IOC – explanation of the reformed host selection process and targeted dialogue phase (link)