Düsseldorf and the Rhine-Ruhr Region Discuss Potential Olympic Bid in DOSB Dialogue Forum

175 guests from Düsseldorf and the region came to the final DOSB dialogue forum in the Merkur Spiel-Arena. The official welcome was given by Düsseldorf’s city director Burkhard Hintzsche. He emphasized: “Düsseldorf and major sporting events – they go together. D.LIVE and D.SPORTS have proven time and again in the past that, on the one hand, we have modern and versatile sports facilities in our city and, on the other hand, we can host sporting events that inspire and engage athletes and spectators alike. Düsseldorf and the Rhine-Ruhr region have optimal conditions for a possible Olympic bid.”

The city of Düsseldorf and the state sports association signal support

In the subsequent discussion, representatives from sports and politics discussed the opportunities and conditions for North Rhine-Westphalia to apply for the Olympics. Dr. Stephan Keller, the mayor of the state capital Düsseldorf, can very well imagine the Olympics in Düsseldorf: “Not least with the 2023 Rhine-Ruhr Finals or the Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023, we have shown that the state capital is the perfect place for major sporting events. The enthusiasm was huge; we received support from all over the world. I would therefore be happy to support a possible Olympic bid. The games should be sustainable and their design should be participatory. Dialogue with citizens is immensely important, and the DOSB dialogue forum in the Merkur Spiel-Arena was a good start here.” Dr. Christoph Niessen, board member of the North Rhine-Westphalia State Sports Association, added: “Organizing major sporting events is the task of organized sport. That is why there is no question for us to support the DOSB initiative.” Jens-Peter Nettekoven, DOSB Vice President, took a seat on the podium, as did saber fencer Leá Krüger and para table tennis player Sandra Mikolaschek. “We started today, the goal is the Olympic and Paralympic Games. We have to move sports Germany forward on this path,” said the DOSB Vice President. From the athletes’ point of view, the Olympic and Paralympic games are often the only chance to show themselves to the public. “Some of us only have the chance to get a stage on which to present ourselves at the games,” explained Leá Krüger. “I hope that games in Germany will bring new club members, more spectators and more involvement in para sports for my club,” added Sandra Mikolaschek.

Demand for the integration of popular sports and the expansion of public transport

Throughout the evening, citizens had the opportunity to take part in moderated discussion groups in order to express concrete ideas, criticism and reservations. The visitors noted that a possible application would require, among other things, concrete concepts for the expansion of local public transport and exercise programs for children and adults.

The official program also included lectures by Carla Wuhrer (Proprojekt) and Stephan Brause (DOSB). Carla Wuhrer presented the IOC’s reform processes and the resulting opportunities to design and carry out the Olympics and Paralympics in a more sustainable and cost-effective manner. Stephan Brause, head of the Olympic Application Department at the DOSB, guided through the DOSB’s new strategy and presented the conditions to which a possible application is linked.

This is how the results are summarized

The series comes to an end this year with the Dialogue Forum in Düsseldorf. The results from the different dialogue formats are now bundled in the Frankfurt Declaration and form the social guidelines for a possible bid for the Olympics. The Frankfurt Declaration will be presented at the DOSB general meeting on December 2, 2023.

Those: deine-spiele.de/dialogforum-in-duesseldorf
Bild: Andrea Bowinkelmann

2023-11-15 07:00:10
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