Munich aiming to host Summer Olympics

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The German city of Munich is bidding to host the Summer Olympic Games – either in 2036, 2040, or 2044.

Bild said Munich is taking Paris as its model and, like the 2024 Olympics in France, aims to stage competitions in the heart of the city, including eventing in the English Garden in front of up to 12,000 spectators.

Munich wants to completely revitalize the old 1972 Olympic grounds for the Games. The Tollwood site in the south of the park is planned to be expanded, including for skating and 3×3 basketball.

Munich plans to almost completely avoid new construction to keep costs down. The opening and closing ceremonies will take place in the old Olympic Stadium, after which the track and field athletes will move in.

Long-distance swimming is to take place in Lake Starnberg, and climbing will take place on the Olympiaberg. For some football matches and sailing, Bavaria would have to rely on the help of other federal states.

Sailing would take place either in Kiel (as in the 1972 Games) or in Rostock/Warnemünde. Some preliminary round football matches would have to take place in stadiums in Freiburg, Stuttgart, and Hoffenheim. Football is also planned in Augsburg and Nuremberg.

The road cycling race will start and finish at Odeonsplatz. Archery would move to Oberschleißheim in the Schlosspark.

Rugby would move to the Grünwalder Stadium, and hockey to the SpVgg Unterhaching stadium.

The city is relying on temporary halls for some events, including at the trade fair.

One problem, however, is the Olympic-sized swimming pool, which must have 10 lanes.

Munich’s Mayor Dieter Reiter said: “There is no pool like this in all of Germany. Therefore, the newly planned event hall in Freising near the airport could temporarily have a swimming pool, which would be used for swimming elsewhere after the Olympics.”

The Olympic Village is to be relocated to Daglfing in the east of the city, where a new district is to be built. A new subway line is also planned in the north.

Munich must compete for the Olympics against the cities of Berlin (with Leipzig), Hamburg, and the Rhine-Ruhr region.

If the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) decides in favor of Bavaria (planned for fall 2026), the International Olympic Committee will then decide which European city will be awarded the contract. Current contenders are Madrid and Rome.

One major obstacle remains: There will be a referendum on October 26, and Munich will ask the public. If the vote is “no,” the plans are immediately off the table.

Currently, Munich is planning on spending between €6-7 million on the bid. Mayor Reiter said, “That’s reasonable when you’re bidding for the biggest sporting event in the world.”

The Summer Olympic Games are the biggest multisport event in the world. More than 10,000 athletes from over 200 countries compete in more than 30 different sports. The Paralympic Games take place soon after the Olympic Games and they are the biggest international event for the athletes with disabilities.

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