Disappointment Reigns Over Hamburg Olympics Defeat

(ATR)A spokesperson for Angela Merkel says the German Chancellor regrets the decision Hamburg residents made to reject the city's bid for the 2024 Olympics.

In a shock defeat on Sunday, the results of a public referendum showed 51.6 percent of Hamburg residents opposed the bid both in postal votes and at the ballot boxes.Of the 650,000 people who voted - 1.3 million were eligible - only 48.4 percent were in favor.

Christiane Wirtz told reporters in Berlin on Monday that Merkel "took note of the results of the vote in Hamburg, and the chancellor finds this decision regrettable but of course she respects the will of the people."

"That's why referendums are held," Wirtz added. "To find out what the population wants, and obviously Hamburgers don't want the Olympics."

Reaction from Merkel on the results of the referendum came on the heels of the chancellor's appearance at the 2015 United Nations climate conference in Paris.

Athletes in Hamburg were devastated by the Hamburg vote.

A German-English news publication,The Local,says Olympic hockey player Moritz Fürste tweeted, "Sport in Germany is dead. It's now official."

Sport in Deutschland ist tot. Jetzt auch offiziell !

"It's a Hamburg disaster -- what is the future sporting vision of the people in the country, for which I fight?

"The vision of McDonalds and unfit, fat children? Probably."

The outcome of Hamburg's public referendum leaves four cities vying for the 2024 Games: Budapest, Los Angeles, Paris and Rome.

IOC calls failed Hamburg bid a "missed opportunity"

Craig Reedie, IOC vice president,tells Around the Rings"it's very disappointing" the citizens of Hamburg turned down the city's bid for the 2024 Olympics.

"You don't want to lose good cities," Reedie tells ATR. "It would have been a good example of a small city bidding for the Games under Agenda 2020 principles."

IOC president Thomas Bach echoed Reedie's sentiments in a statement, calling the decision a "missed opportunity for Hamburg and Germany."

"The IOC of course respects the close vote by the citizens of Hamburg," Bach added. "We regret the decision which should be seen in the light of the very particular and difficult circumstances the referendum was held in."

Bach cited a number of controversies affecting the sporting world as possible explanations for the failed referendum."The decision also may have been influenced by regrettable incidents with regard to doping and corruption in other sports organizations.

"This is a pity, since the IOC itself ensures transparency and good governance and applies strict anti-corruption rules with its Olympic Agenda 2020 reform program in line with highest international standards."

Bach also said the IOC is proud to still have four "strong candidate cities" in the race."Budapest, Los Angeles, Paris and Rome are looking with anticipation to the future of their cities and to use the Olympic project as a catalyst for positive, sustainable and feasible development."

Olympic experts, leaders weigh in

Despite Bach's hope in the remaining 2024 bids, Harvey Schiller, former secretary general of the U.S. Olympic Committee, tells ATRit is growing harder to find places to host the Games.

"Given the elements of cost and security needed for the Olympics, countries that can handle both are limited."

He also says governance issues in world sport are another factor."Scandals affecting FIFA and IAAF does seem to diminish the appetite of cities for these mega-events."

Schiller's perspective is echoed by other Olympic experts including3 Wire Sports founder and columnist Alan Abrahamson.

In an op-ed published on Sunday, Abrahamson said the Hamburg vote illuminates an "Olympic brand crisis."

"Even with all kinds of external factors weighing on the vote -- the Paris attacks, a scandal involving Germany's winning 2006 World Cup soccer bid, the refugee crisis in Germany and across Europe, and more -- the vote marks a sharp repudiation of the IOC's Agenda 2020 would-be reform plan and, indeed, Bach's leadership, both substance and style.

"Worse, it's a repudiation by his own people," Abrahamson added in reference to Bach's German nationality. Before becoming IOC President, Bach was president of the DOSB, the body that is the NOC of Germany.

The head of online sports at Germany's state-run new agencyDeutsche Welle says there are "plenty of losers after the demise of Hamburg's bid for the Olympics."

"What's even worse, the very idea of the Olympics could be at risk," writes Joscha Weber."The Olympic Games in their current form have developed into a bottomless financial pit."

He adds, "Whenever Olympic hopefuls have the courage to put their plans to the people, they are punished.

"That's why the other candidates for the 2024 Summer Games know better than to do so."

Referendum "doesn't change anything" for remaining bid cities

Speaking with ATR,former IOC director of marketing Michael Payne agreed with Weber's assessment and predicts the remaining 2024 bid cities will most likely not opt for a public vote.

"The issue of whether to have a referendum or not has been well-debated by all cities in advance. The Hamburg decision doesn't change anything," Payne says.

Los Angeles 2024 spokesperson Jeff Millman tells ATR the city has "no plans to hold a referendum," confirming Payne's assertion.

"The latest polls put public support above 80 percent, and the city council recently voted unanimously in favor of proceeding with the LA 2024 bid, which would be privately run and privately financed without local government funds," Millman says.

Payne says there are reasons aside from a lack of public support that would lead a city to drop out of the race.

"In today's fast moving political environment, there's always a risk that one or other city could face issues -- changes in the political leadership that could impact a bid."

The IOC votes on the host city for the 2024 Olympic Games at the 2017 Session in Lima, Peru.

Written by Ed Hula, Kevin Nutley, andNicole Bennett

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