Sports
Munich selected as Germany's Olympic bid city
September 26, 2026 at 03:56 PM
Munich will bid to host the 2036, 2040 or 2044 Olympic Games after Germany's Olympic committee picked it over the Cologne/Rhine-Ruhr region.
- German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced the selection Saturday at the DOSB general assembly in Baden-Baden.
- Munich's bid was approved by residents in a late-2025 referendum, with 66.4 percent support on 44 percent turnout.
- Berlin withdrew its bid Thursday after finishing a distant third in the DOSB evaluation, while Hamburg's bid was dropped in May.
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany is "ready for the Olympics" and will enter the race on Munich's behalf.