Thomas Weikert voices support for German 2036 Olympic Bid

Thomas Weikert, departing International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) President and current German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) Presidential candidate, voiced his support for a German 2036 Olympic bid during an interview with sportschau.de.

When asked if he would pursue an Olympic bid as President of the DOSB, Weikert responded, “a clear answer, we have to apply as soon as possible, also for 2036.”

“I know that there are discussions about whether to apply for 2036 against the background of Berlin 1936. But I am of the opinion: yes!”

“You have to portray the image of Germans well and work precisely to ensure that we portray ourselves well abroad. So the answer is clear: Paralympic Games, Olympic Games should come to Germany as soon as possible.”

When pressed on whether or not Berlin would be his preferred city, he replied, “That is a different question, there may also be other cities. That is certainly a topic that you then have to discuss in a team.”

His sentiments come at an important time for the German Olympic movement.

As Around the Rings has previously reported, current DOSB President Alfons Hörmann will be stepping down due to a culture of fear scandal. The German Olympic movement will soon make a choice on his replacement.

Weikert faces two challengers for the presidency, Claudia Bokel and Stephan Mayer. Bokel is the current president of the German Fencing Association, while Mayer is a member of the German parliament.

Weikert’s comments on a potential German Olympic bid might be an effort to sway more votes in his direction in the upcoming election. While there has been a lot of organizational interest in a German bid for the Olympics, it’s important to note the graveyard of recent German bids.

Hamburg submitted a bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, but was forced to drop its bid after a public referendum saw 51.6 percent of residents vote against hosting the Games. Likewise, Munich’s effort to host the 2022 Winter Olympics was also killed by a public referendum.

A bid from the Rhine-Ruhr region also fell short of being chosen for the 2032 Summer Olympics, and that was before a potential public referendum on the idea was even held.

Before German Olympic bids began to die off due to public support, the country had amassed quite the losing streak in the 21st century.

Berlin lost a bid for the 2000 Summer Olympics, Leipzig failed to even qualify for the final round of the 2012 Summer Olympic bid race, and Munich lost the 2018 Winter Olympics bid race to Pyeongchang, a city that had previously lost two bid races.

Based off that recent run of misfortune for German Olympic bids, it would seem unlikely that a German bid would succeed. Nonetheless, the idea of the German bid for the 2036 Summer Olympics continues to be floated.

Earlier this year, a pair of German sports officials suggested that Germany co-host the 2036 Summer Olympics with Tel Aviv. In a guest piece published by German newspaper “Berliner Morgenpost”, Frank Kowalski and Richard Meng argued the need to “think new and bigger, preferably radically.”

The pair then proposed their “radical” idea, writing: “The next possible application date is Olympia 2036. This is truly a difficult date for Germany and Berlin after the Nazi games of 1936. But it would be Europe’s turn in 2036, and then certainly not for a long time.”

“Is the date alone a reason to forego? You can also see it the other way around - if the Olympics were really rethought. Conversely, this means: In 2036 in particular, it would be possible to show what has changed and what still needs to change.”

“So why not send a completely new, strong signal of peace and reconciliation in 2036? A signal that does not suppress the historical burden, but takes up the responsibility that arises from it? It would be such a signal if Germany and Israel apply together, more precisely: Berlin and Tel Aviv.”

There hasn’t been much news on that idea since the publication of that guest piece, with the Israeli Olympic Committee choosing not to comment on the idea. However, it does indicate continued interest with the German Olympic movement about hosting the Games in the near future.

Whether or not Germany will finally land the rights to host the Olympics once more remains to be seen. Importantly, the question of who will lead the DOSB going forward needs to be answered as well.

Weikert, along with his fellow candidates, will find out the answer to that question on December 4.