Berlin Racing Towards Olympic Bid with Popular Support
Preparing grassroots initiative for an Olympic game proposal by LSB - Preparing a People's Proposal for the Olympics by LSB
Get ready, Berlin! The city's sports federation, LSB, is gearing up for an exciting endeavor—a bid for the Olympics. But this time, they're not doing it alone. They're counting on the residents of Berlin to back them up.
At a summer gathering, LSB President Thomas Härtel announced their plan to launch a "popular initiative." Due to constitutional reasons, the Senate can't initiate a citizens' initiative. Härtel is confident that within six months, they can collect 20,000 signatures needed to kickstart a conversation about the Olympic bid in the House of Representatives. With a whopping 809,000 members, Härtel is optimistic about securing the necessary support.
Senator Iris Spranger, in charge of Interior and Sports, already feels a surge of enthusiasm for the Olympic bid. She hopes this momentum will spread across sports clubs, businesses, and various social organizations.
Berlin isn't the only city gunning for the Olympic Games. Munich, Hamburg, and North Rhine-Westphalia with the Rhine and Ruhr region are also in the running.
Thomas Weikert, President of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), praised the preliminary concept. However, he finds himself in a tricky spot due to his neutral stance, quickly mentioning that "We have four outstanding proposals. We’ll definitely pick a fantastic candidate from them via a yet-to-be-named committee." The final decision on the German candidate is slated for autumn 2026, followed by approval from the DOSB members. The exact year for the Games isn't set yet, whether it's 2036, 2040, or 2044.
But it's not all cheers and applause. On the contrary, there are critics unfurling their banners. A citizens' initiative called "NOlympia Berlin" is determined to prevent the Olympics from taking place in Berlin. They argue that the city should focus on repairing and investing in existing sports facilities before considering the costs and complexity of hosting a large-scale event like the Olympics. Their position is echoed by some opposition politicians, such as Klara Schedlich from the Green Party, who criticize the Senate's strategy for repairing dilapidated sports infrastructure and question the feasibility of a sustainable Olympic bid.
The community is being encouraged to support the Olympic bid by signing the popular initiative proposed by the sports federation, LSB. Secretary of Interior and Sports, Senator Iris Spranger, is hopeful that the enthusiasm for the Olympic bid will extend beyond the sports clubs and organizations.
Despite the positive momentum, there are critics such as the "NOlympia Berlin" citizens' initiative and opposition politicians like Klara Schedlich from the Green Party, who question the feasibility of a sustainable Olympic bid and advocate for investing in existing sports facilities instead.
