Frankfurt / Main (dpa) - The German Olympic Sports Federation made a preliminary decision for a possible application for the 2032 Olympic Games and decided in favor of the initiative of the Rhine-Ruhr region.
Berlin is finally out of the race. A Forsa survey commissioned by the DOSB painted "a gratifyingly positive picture of the mood in Rhein-Ruhr and in each of the municipalities involved," said DOSB President Alfons Hörmann in an interview with the German Press Agency. With this initiative, North Rhine-Westphalia "clearly offers a better starting position than Berlin at the moment".
This preliminary decision was made after very intensive and various analyzes. "On the one hand, we have systematically analyzed the legacy of our various applications over the past two decades," said Hörmann. Most recently, Munich failed in their efforts to win the 2018 and 2022 winter games, and Hamburg failed in the summer of 2024. In addition, the concepts were analyzed and the mood on the Rhine and Ruhr and on the Spree was determined.
"To be fair, you have to emphasize, of course, that Rhein-Ruhr has already gone through a two to three year process that Berlin didn't have," emphasized the DOSB boss. In addition, it is conceivable that the International Olympic Committee could award the summer games in twelve years as early as 2022. "Thus, according to human judgment and logical consideration, the time available for an application in 2032 for Berlin is no longer sufficient."
According to Hörmann's ideas, the DOSB Presidium should position itself clearly in the second quarter of 2020 as to what the further timetable may look like. The official decision about an Olympic bid can only be made by a general meeting of the DOSB. The next one will take place in Munich on December 5th.
