Dialogue instead of going it alone for Olympic Games bid
After the failed Olympic bids in recent decades, the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) is exploring new avenues for a possible new bid for the Games in 2036 or 2040. "A bid that bypasses society makes no sense," said Stefan Brause, Head of the DOSB's Olympic Bid Office, at the Futurium in Berlin on Sunday. A dialog forum was held there as part of the initiative "Your ideas. Your Games." initiative. "The most important interest group is the citizens," he said. Previous bids had also failed due to critical sentiments within the population.
The dialog forum in Berlin was the fourth stop after the potential bid cities of Leipzig, Hamburg and Munich. Finally, a fifth forum will be held in Düsseldorf on Monday. Interested parties can present their opinions, suggestions and criticisms on a possible Olympic bid. The results collected in seven clusters will then be presented in the so-called Frankfurt Declaration on December 2 at the DOSB General Assembly in Frankfurt am Main. "If the General Assembly says 'yes', we can draw up a rough concept and then decide at the end of 2024 whether we will apply," said Brause.
While around 500 people took part in the dialog in Berlin, only around 80 interested parties were present in Hamburg. According to the DOSB, however, five million people have already taken part in the digital dialog. According to Brause, the vast majority are in favor of an Olympic bid.
Berlin's Senator of the Interior, Iris Spranger, spoke of the sustainable added value of a bid in the areas of sports facility renovation and the economy. She cited the Special Olympics World Games, which took place in Berlin in June, as an example. The World Games for the mentally and multiply disabled also gave Berlin a cosmopolitan reputation and at the same time showed that major events in the capital are successful.
Source: www.dpa.com
