Hamburg rejected a new Olympic bid: Germany's host selection continues without the Hanseatic city
For the second time in just over a decade, Hamburg has stopped its own Olympic ambition in a referendum. According to the provisional official result published after the vote on May 31, 2026, 54.9 percent of voters declared themselves against the German Olympic Sports Confederation, DOSB, bidding with Hamburg as the venue for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036, 2040 or 2044. A total of 45.1 percent of voters voted to continue the bid, which was enough to pass the prescribed quorum by number of votes, but not enough for the politically and legally crucial condition: a majority of votes in favor. As a result, Hamburg dropped out of Germany's national procedure for selecting the city or region that should represent the country in the international phase.
According to data from the official presentation of results published by Hamburg's electoral bodies and the Statistical Office for Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, 652,603 out of a total of 1,315,800 eligible voters took part in the referendum, so turnout was 49.6 percent. There were 651,730 valid ballots, while 873 ballots were declared invalid. A total of 293,819 voters voted in favor of the bid, and 357,911 voters voted against it. In its statement, DOSB cited turnout of 49.5 percent, with the same number of participants and the same official vote ratio, and the difference in the decimal presentation stems from rounding in individual publications.
Referendum stopped the submission of the final concept
The outcome of the vote has an immediate consequence for Germany's bid procedure. DOSB announced that, because of the negative result, Hamburg can no longer submit the completed concept to the national procedure by June 4. Thus, according to the position of Germany's umbrella sports organization, the Hanseatic city did not successfully complete the second phase of the agreed three-stage model and is no longer considered a national candidate. The process now continues with Berlin, Munich and the KölnRheinRuhr concept, which covers the Rhine and Ruhr area with Cologne as the leading city.
According to the previously adopted schedule, DOSB should make the final decision on the German candidate at an extraordinary general assembly on September 26, 2026, in Baden-Baden. According to DOSB's statement from December 2025, cities and regions had to submit final concepts by the beginning of June 2026, after which an assessment in several categories follows. Among the criteria are international competitiveness and national acceptance, sporting and operational suitability, vision and long-term legacy, costs and financing, and infrastructure projects that are considered separately from the direct staging of the Games. In that framework, the result from Hamburg is particularly important because public acceptance is precisely one of the elements that DOSB takes into account when making its selection.
The Hamburg referendum was held as a Bürgerschaftsreferendum, that is, a referendum connected to a decision of the city parliament. The city scheduled the vote for May 31, 2026, and voters could also vote by mail. The city's electoral administration stated that only about 84,000 voters cast their ballots at polling stations, while a large share of participants used the option of postal voting. According to the announcement by Hamburg authorities, the process proceeded peacefully and properly, without events that would have affected the vote, and the provisional result was published before 9 p.m. on the same day.
Hamburg's second "no" after 2015
This is not the first time Hamburg has rejected an Olympic project. According to comparative data from the Statistical Office for Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, in the 2015 referendum on the bid for the 2024 Games, 51.6 percent of voters declared themselves against it, while 48.4 percent were in favor. At that time, 653,227 voters took part, or 50.2 percent of eligible voters. In the new referendum, turnout was slightly lower, but opposition was more pronounced: the share of votes against increased by 3.3 percentage points compared with 2015, while the share of votes in favor fell by the same amount.
A comparison of the two votes shows that Hamburg voters in 2026 also retained caution toward a major sporting project, despite a different bid concept and the city government's emphasis on existing infrastructure, short distances and financial sustainability. In the new attempt, the city sought to avoid part of the criticism from 2015, when the plans were strongly connected with the development of a new city area in the port and with high cost estimates. According to official campaign materials, the new concept was presented as more modest, more dispersed across existing locations and less dependent on building facilities exclusively for the needs of the Games.
Nevertheless, the result shows that opponents' arguments have not lost political weight. In the public debate, fears of rising costs, uncertainty over security and infrastructure expenditures, pressure on transport and housing, and the question of whether long-term benefits would truly outweigh the financial and organizational risks stood out. On the other hand, supporters argued that the Games could accelerate the modernization of sports infrastructure, increase investment in mobility and accessibility, and strengthen the city's international visibility. The referendum result showed that a majority of the voters who turned out did not accept such an assessment of the benefits.
What Hamburg offered in the new Olympic concept
In March 2026, the Hamburg Senate presented the final bid concept as a project for Games that should fit into the existing urban space. According to the city's announcement, the starting point was that the Olympic and Paralympic Games should not be organized in such a way that the city is subordinated to the event, but rather that the sports program is distributed through recognizable city spaces, existing facilities and temporary infrastructure. Promotional materials emphasized short distances, the use of public transport, the connection of sport with water, parks and the city center, and the idea that the event would leave a visible mark on the broader sporting life of the city.
The financial framework was also an important part of the campaign. According to the announcement by Hamburg's authority for the interior and sport, the costs of organizing and staging the Games were estimated at about 4.8 billion euros. According to the official explanation, that amount would include temporary infrastructure, services, personnel, technology, marketing and communication. At the same time, the city estimated revenue of about 4.9 billion euros, including from the contribution of the International Olympic Committee, sponsorships, ticket sales, hospitality programs and licensing. On that basis, supporters spoke of a possible surplus of about 100 million euros that would be directed into sports infrastructure and grassroots sport.
In addition to the operational budget, Hamburg also spoke about long-term investments in infrastructure and city development. According to official information from the city, about 1.3 billion euros were envisaged for such investments, with city authorities claiming that these would be projects useful even beyond the Olympic event itself. The difference between organizational costs and broader public investments was one of the key points of debate. Critics warned that with major sporting events, initial estimates often prove too low, while the authorities and sports organizations emphasized that the new model was more closely adapted to existing facilities and the city's long-term needs.
DOSB remains committed to the national bid
After the Hamburg outcome, the German Olympic Sports Confederation did not abandon the broader national ambition. In a statement published after the vote, DOSB said that the procedure continues with Berlin, KölnRheinRuhr and Munich. DOSB president Thomas Weikert said that it had obviously not succeeded in convincing a majority of Hamburg voters of the added value of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in their city, but at the same time stressed that this does not change the confederation's assessment that there is still majority support in Germany for the idea of the Games.
In the same announcement, DOSB recalled the results in other areas. According to that organization, Munich successfully passed the second phase of the procedure in a referendum in October 2025, with 66.4 percent of votes in favor. In North Rhine-Westphalia, where the KölnRheinRuhr concept is based on several cities, the referendum process ended with a large majority of local decisions in favor of the bid. Kiel, which was mentioned in Hamburg's concept as a possible location for sailing competitions, also supported participation in April 2026. But Hamburg's "no" means that this part of the possible schedule can no longer be developed within the framework of Hamburg's bid.
Otto Fricke, chairman of DOSB's Executive Board, according to the confederation's announcement, emphasized that the result confirms the value of involving citizens early in the procedure, before the final decision on the German candidate. DOSB also announced that it would continue talking with Hamburg about whether parts of the city's concept can be implemented independently of the Olympic bid, especially those relating to sports infrastructure and sports development. Such continued cooperation does not change the main outcome of the referendum: Hamburg is no longer among the candidates for Germany's Olympic application.
Germany seeks the return of the Games after Munich 1972
Germany has not hosted the Summer Olympic Games since Munich in 1972, and the new bid procedure is part of an effort to return the country to the international race for one of the editions after Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032. DOSB is not targeting only one year, but is considering 2036, 2040 and 2044, noting that the final international timetable will depend on the procedure of the International Olympic Committee. According to the IOC's explanation, after the reform, the choice of host is no longer conducted as a classic competition of candidate cities within a strictly defined deadline, but through a more flexible dialogue with potential hosts.
In its materials, the International Olympic Committee states that the new host selection model should reduce costs and encourage more sustainable projects, with maximum use of existing and temporary venues and the construction of new facilities only if there is a long-term need. Such a framework in theory favors concepts that rely on existing infrastructure and the regional distribution of competitions, but the Hamburg referendum shows that the reformed international model by itself does not remove local political doubts. For cities competing in the national procedure, public trust remains as important as sporting and technical feasibility.
The decision from Hamburg therefore changes the balance of the German process in the final phase. Berlin enters the continuation of the procedure as the capital with a major international profile, Munich as a city with Olympic history and confirmed referendum support, and KölnRheinRuhr as a regional concept that relies on a densely populated and infrastructurally developed area. DOSB must now assess which of the remaining models has the best combination of international appeal, financial sustainability, sporting plan and domestic support. Hamburg's result will remain a warning that Olympic projects cannot be run only through technical plans and financial projections, but also through convincing political communication with citizens.
Final result only after official confirmation
The published outcome is currently a provisional official result. According to Hamburg's administration, district electoral bodies are checking the records from their areas on June 1 and 2 and reporting to the city electoral administration, while the Senate should formally determine the final result later in June. The Statistical Office for Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein states in its publication calendar that the final result and additional publications are expected on June 25, 2026. Given the clear difference between votes against and in favor, it is not expected that the verification could change the political outcome of the referendum.
For Hamburg, this means the end of another attempt to position itself as an Olympic city, at least in the current German cycle. For DOSB, it means a narrower selection, but also a clearer task in the continuation of the procedure: it must compare the remaining candidates not only according to sporting and infrastructure criteria, but also according to demonstrable public support. The final German decision on September 26, 2026, will not yet mean that Germany will get the Games, but only that one concept will enter the international phase with greater political weight. Hamburg voters decided that their city will not take part in that phase.
Sources:
- Landeswahlamt Hamburg / hamburg.de – statement on the course of the referendum, turnout, provisional result and further procedure for confirming the result (link)
- Wahlen Hamburg / Statistisches Amt für Hamburg und Schleswig-Holstein – official presentation of the provisional results of the 2026 referendum by number of votes, shares, quorum and turnout (link)
- Statistisches Amt für Hamburg und Schleswig-Holstein – comparison of the provisional result of the 2026 Olympic referendum with the 2015 referendum (link)
- Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund – DOSB's reaction to the Hamburg referendum and continuation of the process with Berlin, KölnRheinRuhr and Munich (link)
- Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund – decision on the further national procedure, deadlines, criteria and the extraordinary general assembly on September 26, 2026 (link)
- Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg – financial concept of Hamburg's bid, including the estimate of the organizational budget and expected revenue (link)
- Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg – presentation of Hamburg's final Olympic concept and its main program elements (link)
- International Olympic Committee – explanation of the reformed process for selecting Olympic Games hosts and emphasis on existing, temporary and long-term justified venues (link)