Munich Residents Back Olympic Bid, But Support Varies by District
Munich citizens overwhelmingly approved a referendum on Sunday to pursue a bid for โthe Summer Olympics, with approximately 66 percentโ voting in favor. However, support for the bid wasn’t uniform across the city, revealingโข notable differences inโค approval ratings between Munich’s districts.
Allach-Untermenzing led with the highest approvalโ at 71.7 percent, followed closely by Maxvorstadt (70.9 percent) and altstadt-Lehel (70.5 โฃpercent). Feldmoching-Hasenbergl (68.8%), Milbertshofen-Am Hart (68.3%), and Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt (68.1%) also demonstrated โstrong support.
Districts in the upper-mid range included Trudering-Riem (67.8%),Schwabing-Freimann โ(69.5%), Pasing-Obermenzing โค(67.4%), Aubing-Lochhausen-Langwied โ(67.3%), and Thalkirchen-Obersendling-Fรผrstenried-Solln (67.2%).
Moosach (67.2%), Sendling-Westpark (65.9%),Hadern and Ramersdorf-Perlach (66.4% each),โฃ Au-Haidhausen (64.3%), and Obergiesing-Fasangarten (64.1%) showed moreโฃ moderate, yet โคstill majority, โapproval.
Schwabing-Freimann (65.3%), Berg am Laimโฃ (65.2%), Neuhausen-Nymphenburg โ(65.1%), and Schwabing-West (67.5%) recorded approval โฃratings below the city average, though Schwabing-West remained above it.
Laim (63.3%), Bogenhausen (62.6%), Schwanthalerhรถhe (62.3%),and Sendling โฃ(61.7%) expressed the moast reservation, placing them at the bottomโค of the list.
Mayor Dieterโค Reiterโข (SPD)โ expressed satisfactionโค with the outcome,calling it a “clear โsignal from the โpeople of munich” andโข noting the record 42 percent voter turnout. “we do politics โคfor the majority here,” Reiterโ stated. He also emphasized that aโ majority voted โคin favor across all districts.
The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) will decide in autumn 2026 whichโค cityโ will โขbe Germany’s candidate to the โInternational Olympic Committeeโ (IOC) for the 2036, 2040, or 2044 Games.โ Munich is competing with Berlin, Hamburg, and the rhine-Ruhr region.