Berlin’s state parliament voted on Thursday with a majority in favor of the city’s Olympic bid. The motion by the CDU and SPD coalition also received votes from the AfD, while the Left Party and the Greens voted against it. The debate lasted nearly 90 minutes, and the vote was taken by a show of hands.
Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) promoted the Games in his speech as a “promise for future generations.” He expects an “investment booster” for sports, local transport, housing construction, and inclusion. Berlin, he said, can show in times of crisis “that change is possible and that Berlin is the city of diversity.” The Senate estimates the cost of hosting at 4.82 billion euros, based on external expert calculations.
The opposition parties, the Greens and the Left Party, criticized the cost risk and spoke of empty promises. The concept relies almost exclusively on existing sports venues, with competitions also planned on Tempelhofer Feld. Berlin is one of four German candidates – alongside Munich, Hamburg, and North Rhine-Westphalia with Cologne as its center. The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) will decide on September 26 which candidate will launch a bid with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Possible target Games are the Summer Olympics in 2036, 2040, or 2044.
Source: www.faz.net
