Berlin starts application for the Olympic Games - press conference on May 27th!

Berlin starts application for the Olympic Games - press conference on May 27th!

Berlin, Deutschland - On May 27, 2025, an important press conference will take place in the honor lodge of the Olympic Stadium. Berlin and several federal states, including Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein, present their application concept Berlin+ for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The press conference begins at 2 p.m., with registration for media representatives required by May 26, 2025, 4 p.m. The S-Bahn stop Olympic Stadium or the U-Bahn line 12, Olympic Stadium stop. From 1:00 p.m., access via the Olympic Gate entrance will be made possible. In addition, the event is broadcast live on the YouTube channel of the Senate Chancellery, which has a broader public participating in the event. Among those present will be high -ranking officials such as the ruling mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner, as well as other prime ministers of the federal states involved, as can be seen from the information from BerlinSenatskanzlei.de.

The main goal of this application is to promote the German candidacy in the international selection process of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). As early as August 2024, a joint statement (MOU) was signed, which sets the support of the Federal Government and the German Olympic Sports Association (DOSB) for a joint application with interested cities and federal states. Federal and sports minister Nancy Faeser emphasized the importance of sustainability and the use of existing sports facilities in order to minimize costs and work more environmentally friendly. The application could not only promote sport, but also set significant economic impulses for the region, as the DOSB announced in its message.

sustainability and existing sports facilities in the focus

When planning the application, sustainable use of existing sports facilities plays a central role. Berlin is currently putting together a list of at least ten sports facilities that could serve as possible venues. Many of these facilities, such as the Olympic Stadium, which was built in 1936, are in an outdated state and require extensive renovations. Measures to modernize the Olympic Stadium are also planned as part of the European Football Championship, which is supported with a budget of 18 million euros.

The necessary renovations also include the renovation of the Olympic PARK, for which an estimated cost of 150 million euros could incur. Another important point is the need to build a new swimming pool, and the modernization of other halls, for example the Max-Schmeling-Halle with a capacity of 8,500 and the Mercedes-Benz Stadium at the Ostbahnhof, which offers 14,500 places. The Sportforum Hohenschönhausen needs renovations that bring with it estimated costs of at least 170 million euros.

competition and citizen participation

The willingness to apply has already been signed by the responsible politicians, but the final decisions about the possible applicant cities are expected by early December 2023. The planning stipulates that a coarse concept will be developed as part of a citizen participation by summer 2024. The final decision on the application could be made in 2025 or 2026 and aims to carry out 2040, 50 years after German unity.

Overall, the application for the Olympic and Paralympic Games is a major challenge, but at the same time it harbors the potential to strengthen the cohesion of the region and to provide positive impulses for the development of sport and the infrastructure in Berlin as well as its surrounding area. The focus is on a sustainable concept that optimally uses the existing resources, as the information from rbb24.de and the views of the DOSB.