Weikert folytatja a 2036-os olimpiai pályázatot
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The president of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) said on Saturday that Germany is open to bidding for the Summer Games, even though President Frank-Walter Steinmeier considers the anniversary 'historically problematic'.
Thomas Weikert made clear during his appearance at Germany House at the Milano Cortina Winter Games that the country is not removing 2036 from its strategic horizon, even though the centenary of the Berlin Games staged by the Nazi regime has reignited a political and symbolic debate of considerable weight in Germany.
"We have to be ready to organise the Games (whenever they decide). This concerns all three editions," Weikert told Reuters, stressing that Germany's planning also covers 2036, 2040 and 2044. He insisted that the final decision does not rest with Berlin but with the International Olympic Committee, and recalled that "The IOC decides when the Games will come to Europe. It could be that they say that 2036 is for Asia or Africa."
The stance of Germany's top Olympic sports official contrasts with the position expressed this week by the Federal Presidency. A Steinmeier spokesperson told German publication Der Spiegel, "The Federal President regards the year 2036 as historically problematic for a German bid," referring directly to the centenary of the Berlin 1936 Games, which Adolf Hitler turned into a propaganda instrument of the Third Reich.
That Olympic edition, regarded as one of the most controversial in the history of the Olympic movement, was used by the Nazi regime to project abroad an image of order and racial supremacy. However, that ideological narrative was partially challenged by the performance of African-American athlete Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals at Berlin's Olympic Stadium and became one of the sporting symbols of the 20th century. The legacy of 1936 remains a sensitive point in Germany's political culture, where coming to terms with the past is a central element of public discourse.
Steinmeier does not question the return of the Games to Germany, but believes that coinciding with the centenary requires institutional caution. According to accounts passed to the German outlet by those close to him, the president "hopes for the staging of the Games in the years 2040 or 2044 in Germany," making clear that his objection is confined to that specific date. The head of state's intervention has introduced a politically significant nuance into a process that until now had unfolded mainly within the sporting sphere.
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Weikert, for his part, argued that a bid could also be an opportunity for democratic self-affirmation. "We want to show a positive Germany. This would also apply to 2036," he said, pointing to the country's capacity to present itself as a mature democracy that has learned from its history. Along the same lines, former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder wrote in a public letter that, although the concerns raised by president Steinmeier "are certainly to be taken seriously," he does not share them. In his view, hosting the Games in that year would make it possible to show "what we, as a democratic Germany, have learned from our history" and to project abroad an open, confident image.
Meanwhile, Germany's internal process continues. Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and the Rhine-Ruhr region are competing to become the national bid that the DOSB is due to select at its general assembly scheduled for September in Baden-Baden. Before then, the bidders must submit their final projects, which will be assessed on criteria such as operational feasibility, costs and funding, public support, international competitiveness and legacy. A survey commissioned by the DOSB itself suggests that 70% of the population believe an Olympic bid would improve the country's general mood, while 63% think it would help encourage physical activity.
Germany has hosted the Summer Olympic Games twice, Berlin 1936 and Munich 1972, the latter overshadowed by the attack in which eleven members of the Israeli team were killed after a hostage-taking carried out by the Palestinian group Black September. Since then, the country has not hosted a Summer Games, and its attempt to stage the 2000 Olympics ended at the final stage of the voting process.
On the international stage, the race for 2036 remains open, pending the IOC's formal reactivation of the selection procedure. After Paris 2024, Los Angeles will host the 2028 Games and Brisbane the 2032 edition. For 2036, other cities and countries have expressed interest, including Budapest, Doha, India, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, in a context where continental rotation and the IOC's new model of continuous dialogue shape the timetable and strategies.
Against this backdrop, Weikert's message is unequivocal: Germany is ruling out none of the three dates in contention and is preparing to be ready when the IOC takes its decision.