German Olympic officials met on Monday to make an official decision on which German city will become a candidate for the 2024 Summer Olympic games, and after a vote, the members selected Hamburg over the capital city of Berlin.
“Hamburg has presented a fascinating and compact Olympic concept. It will help Hamburg grow as a north German – as a north European – metropolis,” said Alfons Hörmann, the DOSB (Der Deutsche Olympische Sportbund) president, during a press conference.
Various aspects of both cities proposals were carefully looked at, but Hamburg was a clear favorite among both public and professional support leading up to Monday’s vote. A recent poll showed 64 percent of Hamburg residents supported the idea of the Olympic games in their city, while public support in Berlin was only at 55 percent.
A final vote to officially select Hamburg as a 2024 Olympic host city candidate will be conducted by the rest of the DOSB on March 21. If approved, a special referendum will need to be held later this year for Hamburg voters to make the final decision.
Hamburg will then go up against a growing list of other major cities looking to host the 2024 games, including Boston and Rome. The host city will be voted on in 2017.
Sources: DW, AP
Photo: Architekten von Gerkan, Marg und Partner (gmp)
