Hamburg Looking Abroad for Olympic Bid Support

(ATR) Hamburg is seeking international recognition for its 2024 Olympic bid.

"We know that our target group is ultimately the International Olympic Committee with over 100 members from around the world," said DOSB CEO Michael Vesper on Tuesday after a meeting with Olympic organizers in Hamburg.

He says it is important "to have a presence internationally." As a trading city, Hamburg is well placed geographically. Officials also hope to bring more international competitions to the Elbe. State senator Christoph Krupp confirmed: "We will apply more attention to international competitions."

On the selection of an Olympic sailing area, Vesper said a commission headed by Hamburg sports senator Michael Neumann, DOSB board chair Bernhard Schwank and the German Sailing Association will travel to Rostock, Lübeck and Kiel on April 9 and 10.The final decision will then be left to the DOSB Bureau and the Hamburg city government.

Also in April, the Olympic bid committee will be established.

The planned referendum in Hamburg on the Olympic bid is expected to take place in October or November. The submission of application to the IOC must be made by September 15.

"The referendum would require a constitutional amendment. The accumulation of facts about the application concept will take longer," said Senate Chancellery boss Christoph Krupp.

In a DOSB survey in February, 64 percent of Hamburg registered support for the Olympics.

Written by Heinz Peter Kreuzer

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.