Berlin is in a permanent crisis: This is how the Olympic Games should now fix it

Berlin wants to try again: Together with Brandenburg, Saxony, and one of the two Baltic Sea states, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein, the capital plans to bid for the Olympic Games. And, as stated at a press conference in Berlin's Olympic Stadium on Tuesday, this should be done sustainably and jointly. The goal of all: Germany should host the Olympic Games and Paralympics for the first time since 1972.

That, however, was one of the most concrete statements of the afternoon. Perhaps this was complemented by the statement by Berlin's Senator for the Interior and Sports, Iris Springer (SPD) , that the Senate has 500,000 euros available for advertising in this first phase of a national bid.

Germany wants the Olympics – whether in 2036, 2040 or 2044

One thing to know: The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) plans to decide next year which bid it will submit to the International Olympic Committee. The year is still open: 2036, 2040, or 2044. They're not being picky.

The DOSB also advocated the one-city principle, as announced on Tuesday. There must be a clear central venue, and at least 70 percent of all athletes must compete and live there. This dashed ideas that Berlin and Hamburg could pool their resources. No one could imagine the Olympic Village being built roughly halfway—in Wittenberge on the Elbe? So Berlin and Hamburg are going their separate ways and applying separately.

Olympic bid: Berlin makes the first serve

To give the DOSB enough time to make its selection, the Hamburg team plans to present its plans next week. The Rhine-Ruhr region in North Rhine-Westphalia plans to present its plans on Wednesday. Munich also plans to apply.

Since national resources are limited in times of sustainability games, some strange collisions arise. For example, the two coastal states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein will be keen to offer their services to any bidder, because sailing, surfing, and surfing will definitely take place on the Baltic Sea – regardless of which host city is chosen.

Berlin wants the Olympics – even with the competition in NRW

And there are other overlaps. The Olympic football tournaments with women's and men's teams, in particular, are definitely a national effort. For example, Berlin is planning to use the many large stadiums in North Rhine-Westphalia, a rival state, for its own bid. Sustainability would be impossible to achieve otherwise. By comparison, at last year's Paris Olympic Games, football was played in a total of seven French cities. No one could have the intention of building seven stadiums of that size in East Germany. And Berlin is planning another foray deep into the West. The equestrian competitions are to take place at the world-famous Soers in Aachen – a mere 640 kilometers from Berlin.

But what does Berlin+, the working title of the capital's bid, want to do itself? Nothing less than seize as many opportunities as possible, "an opportunity for sport, for Berlin, for all of Germany, for Eastern Germany," as Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) summarized it. "This can be an investment program," said Berlin's Governing Mayor. What's important is added value for cities and the population in terms of sports venues and infrastructure. The Olympics mean a good ten years of preparation, followed by 30 days of sports, but it can't be over after that. The impact of the Games on society "must last a good 20 years," Wegner said.

What all partners have in common is that all of these locations already have sports facilities where Olympic competitions could take place, Wegner said. The figure was 90 percent. And where such facilities are still lacking, they should be renovated, modernized, and, if necessary, a temporary hall or grandstand should be built that could be easily dismantled afterwards.

Olympics in Berlin: Competitions throughout the city

There are no concrete plans yet as to exactly what will be held where. However, Sports Senator Spranger named possible competition venues for Berlin as the Olympic Stadium (athletics), the adjacent Olympic Park, the trade fair center with its many multifunctional halls, the Max Schmeling Hall, the Velodrome and the adjacent diving and swimming hall on Landsberger Allee, the former Tempelhof Airport (for bouldering, for example), the Brandenburg Tour as a backdrop for beach volleyball, and the Museum Island as part of the marathon route. Cycling races and triathlon competitions could take place over the Glienicke Bridge, rugby could be played in the hopefully newly built Jahnstadion, skating could take place in Köpenick's Mellowpark, and open water swimming could take place in the Dahme River in Grünau.

However, much remains to be seen upon closer inquiry. For example, where the core Olympic sport of swimming should be held. There is no indoor swimming pool large enough in Berlin. The master plan for the modernization of the Hohenschönhausen Sports Forum does include the construction of a swimming arena. However, it was revealed in passing that whether this would be large enough is not yet clear. Spranger also raised the possibility of upgrading the Olympic swimming pool next to the stadium.

Berlin Olympics: Water sports in Brandenburg, martial arts in Leipzig, sailing on the Baltic Sea, football and horse riding in NRW

The canoeing and rowing competitions are to take place on Lake Beetz in Brandenburg an der Havel. Minister-President Woidke also mentioned the long-standing tradition of shooting in Frankfurt an der Oder, golf in Bad Saarow, and the state capital Potsdam, which is excellently suited for triathlon and road cycling. Leipzig could host fencing or taekwondo, and Markkleeberg, located to the south, has all the facilities for whitewater canoeing. Overall, there's a lot to be done, a lot to be done, a lot to be done, a lot to be done.

The plan for the Olympic Village, however, is comparatively concrete. It is to be built near the exhibition center on the vacant lot between the Westkreuz and Grunewald S-Bahn stations and will accommodate up to 17,000 athletes. It will then be demolished, leaving approximately 2,000 residential units. The developer will be the state-owned housing company Howoge.

But in the end, big questions remain: How much will it cost? And will the population support it? Is there a majority in the country for the Olympics?

Olympic bid: In Munich, the people prevented the Winter Games

But how do you expect to "inspire people," as Wegner put it, when even politicians are so skeptical about the Olympics? Well, opinions can change. For example, in 2022, Sports Senator Spranger declared that the Senate was not planning any "further push" for the Olympics. That was under the Red-Green-Red coalition.

The current black-red coalition, of which she is once again a member, however, wrote in the coalition agreement: "The coalition reaffirms its willingness for Berlin to be available as a host city within the framework of a possible national bid with a sustainable concept for the holding of the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Germany."

But is there a willingness even in Berlin, which is usually critical? The embarrassing failure due to its own shortcomings in 1992 is still very much present in the city, and even now, the first Olympic activists are already warming up . Above all, the fear of incalculable costs is driving anxiety in a city that has slipped into a financial crisis.

Kai Wegner seems to be just wishful thinking. He recalled last year's Paris. There, too, there was a lot of skepticism until shortly before the opening, "and then the whole of France was behind it."

Olympics in Berlin: The critics and skeptics are already warming up

Indeed, the opening ceremony in Paris already delivered wonderfully light images, and the closing ceremony was grandiose. But is something like that possible in a seemingly perpetually rainy Germany, full of deep social divisions, where it's hard to find common ground? And if so, how?

In Munich, citizens will be able to vote on the Olympic plans on October 26th – even though a vote in the Bavarian capital a few years ago prevented the Winter Olympics from being held.

On behalf of Berlin, Spranger once again expressed reservations about such a survey. The concept is "dialogue with each other. Not just yes or no, but that the population really knows what we're planning," the politician said. "We need to start a conversation with the people of Berlin."