The initiative for the Rhine-Ruhr region to apply for the Olympic Games 2032 is to be continued – even if the chances of success are minimal. North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Armin Laschet (CDU) announced on Friday in Düsseldorf after a consultation with the mayors of the affected municipalities and the Rhein-Ruhr-City initiative not to give up despite the IOC’s push for Brisbane.
In addition, the CDU chief attacked the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) sharply. The DOSB did not see itself in a position to enter into dialogue with the IOC. “The amazing thing is that you have no sense of what is going on at the IOC,” he criticized. Initially, the DOSB did not want to comment on Laschet’s clear words.
Laschet also reacted with incomprehension to the decision of the executive branch of the International Olympic Committee, which on Wednesday declared Brisbane in Australia as the preferred candidate for hosting the summer games in eleven years. This means that the German Rhine-Ruhr Initiative has little chance. “No question, the decision of the IOC on Wednesday surprised and hit us. I was told that Brisbane was a good candidate for the IOC in uncertain times. I do not share this view,” said Laschet.
Should the application for 2032 fail as expected, a candidacy for the games four years later would also come into consideration for Rhein-Ruhr. “We would prepare for games in the 30s, that can be 32, that can also be 2036,” said the CDU boss.
Laschet does not see a staging 100 years after those in Berlin under the Nazi regime as an obstacle: “The message that these games have is also a content one. The world is a different 100 years later than the 1936 games. This to show, to make this visible, would fit any game in the 1930s. “
Aachen, Bochum, Bonn, Dortmund, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Cologne, Krefeld, Leverkusen, Mönchengladbach, Oberhausen and Recklinghausen are involved in the Rhine-Ruhr project. The initiators also want to take Kiel on board as the venue for the sailing competitions.
The basis for an application from the Rhine-Ruhr region would be approval in a public survey. Laschet left it open on Friday whether the date for this should be in September parallel to the federal election. This has been the goal so far. Another possible date is the NRW state election in May 2022.
The indirect rejection of the IOC to the competitors of the Australian city in Queensland extends the history of disappointments and defeats German application attempts for summer games with Berlin (for 2000), Leipzig (2012) and Hamburg (2024) or for winter with Berchtesgaden (1992) and Munich (2018 and 2022).
What speaks in favor of the 2.5 million city is that, according to the IOC, its Olympic concept is fully in line with Agenda 2020 and already has 80 to 90 percent of the required sports facilities. In addition, Australia was last in 2000 with Sydney and could be back after 32 years.
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