Kai Wegner (left to right, CDU), Governing Mayor of Berlin; Iris Spranger (SPD), Senator for the Interior and Sports; Moritz van Dülmen, Managing Director of Kulturprojekte Berlin; and Kaweh Niroomand, the State of Berlin’s Olympic Commissioner, are seated at a press conference following the Senate meeting to present the city’s bid for the Olympics.
© dpa
The Berlin Senate has unanimously endorsed the Olympic plans of Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU).
The Berlin+ concept, presented by Wegner and Sports Senator Iris Spranger (SPD) for a bid to host the 2036, 2040 or 2044 Summer Olympics, assumes that 97 percent of all the sports venues needed for the competitions are already in place.
Spranger estimated the cost of organizing the Games at 4.82 billion euros. In contrast, revenue of 5.24 billion euros is expected, meaning that a profit of around 420 million euros would be generated "for Berlin’s schools and grassroots sports," as Spranger said at a press conference at the Rotes Rathaus. "We are convinced that hosting the Games in Berlin would be a win - far beyond the realm of sports," said Wegner. "The Olympic and Paralympic Games can provide our city with important momentum and present Germany as a modern and reliable host," he added.
Berlin is one of four candidates in the national shortlist vying to be selected for Germany’s Olympic bid. Its competitors are Munich, Hamburg and the Rhine-Ruhr region, centered on Cologne. On September 26, the German Olympic Sports Confederation will decide which candidate to propose to the International Olympic Committee. In addition to the sports venues, Berlin also wants to bathe the capital in an Olympic atmosphere. The Brandenburg Gate will be accessible from the west via a golden ramp, and the colored rings - the Olympic symbol - will be displayed throughout the cityscape. A gold-colored, pyramid-shaped spectator grandstand is planned for Tempelhofer Feld.
"The Olympic route will be a visible symbol of the connection between sports, culture, and urban society," said Moritz van Dülmen, managing director of Kulturprojekte Berlin, the organization responsible for the host city concept. "It will run from the Olympic Stadium through the entire city to Tempelhofer Feld, the site of the opening ceremony, and will make the Olympics an experience for everyone." Unlike the other three German candidates, there will be no public referendum on the Olympic plans in Berlin. Munich and North Rhine-Westphalia had already secured clear majorities in referendums. Hamburg will hold its vote at the end of May.