Application for Olympia - NRW government chief Wüst promotes the Olympics in Rhine and Ruhr
After the Paris Olympic magic, North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister President Hendrik Wüst (CDU) dreams of hosting the Summer Olympics in the Rhine-Ruhr region. "I believe we'd all love to have them here," he said in a WDR radio interview. "We're certainly ready." In 2032, the Rhine-Ruhr region had previously attempted to host the 2032 Summer Games, but Brisbane was ultimately chosen by the International Olympic Committee.
Wüst sees an advantage in the Rhine-Ruhr region hosting "existing Olympic Games," where, following the Paris model, "nothing needs to be built on the green field that won't be needed later." North Rhine-Westphalia already has large existing stadiums and hosts the annual international equestrian event, CHIO.
A Basketball Dream and a Promise
Wüst's dream, incidentally, is a German-American basketball final at the VELTINS Arena in Gelsenkirchen. "Wouldn't that be something?", he said. "We've shown we can handle major events, as we've just demonstrated with the Euro and many other sporting events." With existing infrastructure, Wüst believes he could also secure broad public support for the Games.
For if North Rhine-Westphalia successfully bids for the 2040 Olympics, Wüst made a promise: "If we get the Olympics, I'll earn my sports badge at 65," said the 49-year-old politician.
Rhein-Ruhr Faces Competition
The federal government has already paved the way for another German Olympic bid. Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) signed the basic agreement with the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) and the interested federal states and cities at the beginning of August in Paris. The federal government clearly prefers a bid for the 2040 Summer Games, which would be 50 years after German reunification. Apart from the Rhine-Ruhr region, Hamburg, Munich, and Leipzig have also expressed interest in a possible bid.
The Rhine-Ruhr region, having shown its capability to host major events, aims to bring the Olympic Games back in 2040, as mentioned by North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister President, Hendrik Wüst. If successful, Wüst has promised to earn his sports badge at 65, leveraging the region's existing stadiums and infrastructure, similar to the Paris Olympic Games model.
