Munich beat Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr by 91 votes to 50 on 26 September to become Germany’s candidate for the Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games. It can bid for 2036, with 2040 and 2044 also possible.
Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced the first-ballot result at an extraordinary German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) assembly in Baden-Baden. The secret ballot result sends Munich into the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) host-selection process.
Two finalists, two points apart
The 42 Olympic sport federations each held three votes, while DOSB presidium members and personal members had one apiece. Three personal members were absent, leaving 141 votes available. Munich’s 91 votes settled the contest without another round.
The ballot was more decisive than the DOSB’s pre-vote assessment. Munich scored 87.03 out of 100 against Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr’s 85.02, with both concepts rated very good. The evaluation commission judged the two plans to be “on an equal footing in the international competition” under its scoring system.
Voters in Munich and Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr had backed bids by two-thirds majorities in local referendums. Hamburg’s voters went the other way in May: 55.1 per cent rejected a bid on a turnout of 49.6 per cent. Berlin+, rated good with 74.64 points in the DOSB assessment, withdrew on 24 September amid uncertainty over political support.
Munich’s mayor, Dominik Krause, said after the vote: “I am very pleased that our concept convinced not only Munich residents last year, but all of German sport today.”
DOSB president Thomas Weikert said: “Now a new phase begins: together with Munich, we will take the next step and represent Germany in the international competition for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.” Ronald Rauhe, the state minister for sport and volunteering, said the federal government firmly supported the bid.
Munich’s Olympic course
Munich hosted the Summer Games in 1972, when rowing and canoeing medal events were held at Oberschleißheim. The 2,230-metre regatta course lies six kilometres northwest of the Olympic Park and hosted the 2022 European Championships.
The DOSB entered the IOC’s Continuous Dialogue in November 2025. Under the IOC’s timetable, its Executive Board is expected to shortlist interested parties for Strategic Dialogue in March 2027, then begin Targeted Dialogue with preferred hosts in late 2028. An IOC Session is expected to elect the 2036 host in mid-2029.
