Germany is hoping to win the right to host the Olympic Games in 2036, 2040 or 2044. On Saturday, the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) is to meet to vote on which of two bids (Munich and Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr) to throw its support behind. Berlin withdrew its application at short notice on Thursday.

Munich: Political and public support

The motto of Munich‘s Olympic bid is “For Games with heart and soul.” The concept focuses on sustainability, with the 1972 Olympic Park serving as the centerpiece. According to documents published by the bid committee, around 90% of the competition venues are located less than 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the Olympic Village. Most of the venues that would be used already exist, with only a few temporary facilities to be constructed.

In addition to existing infrastructure, other advantages include Munich’s experience in hosting major sporting events and its Olympic legacy from 1972. The organizers aim to offer an alternative model to the pricey Olympic projects of the past.

Political support for the Munich bid is strong: “In Munich, we have the perfect conditions to host the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Munich Mayor Dominik Krause is quoted as saying on the city website, “muenchen.de.”

“Hosting the Olympic Games in Munich would be an investment in the future — not only because of the immense social value but also due to the resulting acceleration of key urban development and infrastructure projects. Munich is ready for the Olympics!”

Munich residents also appear to support the bid. In a city referendum held last October, just over 305,000 residents cast their votes, with 66.4% voting in favor of an Olympic bid.

Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr: Sustainability and public support

This bid encompasses an entire region, featuring numerous venues that are widely dispersed. Cologne would serve as the “lead city” in the bid that features 15 municipalities in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Cologne would host the Olympic Village and a temporary athletics stadium.

Organizers highlight the fact that all of the venues either already exist or would be temporary and to the fact that 66% of those who voted in lasts April’s referenda in the affected municipalities voted in favor of the bid.

Apart from sustainability, the Rhine-Ruhr region’s dense sports infrastructure is considered a key strength. A potential drawback is the location of competitions across many cities in Germany’s most densely populated region. Traffic jams are a daily occurrence and many trains run late or are cancelled altogether.

Berlin – Bid withdrawn

Germany’s capital had originally been a third candidate to host a future Summer Olympics, but it withdrew its bid due to political changes and significant opposition.

The socialist Left Party  won the most votes in Sunday’s state election in Berlin, meaning the party’s lead candidate Elif Eralp could become the city-state’s new governing mayor. She is on record as opposing the idea of bringing the Games to the capital, describing the bid as a “waste of taxpayer money” and saying she saw in it “no benefit for Berlin.” The Green Party a potential coalition partner for Eralp, also opposed the Olympic bid.

As a result, the outgoing Christian Democrat governing mayor, Kai Wegner, Sports Senator Iris Spranger, and Berlin’s Olympic commissioner Kaweh Niroomand used a press conference on Thursday to announce that the capital was withdrawing its bid.

“Today is a sad day for Berlin. Because the Olympic and Paralympic Games would have been a huge opportunity — for Berlin, for eastern Germany, and for future generations,” Wegner said.

He added that through a number of personal conversations with members of sports federations eligible to take part in Saturday’s vote, he had determined that Berlin’s bid now lacked significant support.  

Niroomand accused Eralp of “sweeping the entire bid off the table within 45 seconds, thereby causing immense uncertainty among the sports federations and significantly diminishing our chances.”

The bid had centered on Berlin’s international appeal and the inclusion of the eastern states of Brandenburg, Saxony, and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where events were also to be held  as well as sustainability.

Munich with a slight edge

A total of 144 votes are up for grabs in Saturday’s vote. Eligible to vote are Germany’s 42 Olympic sports federations — including those for winter sports — along with the 10-member DOSB Executive Board and eight individual DOSB members. The individual sports federations each hold three votes.

The final report by a DOSB evaluation commission made Munich’s bid the slight favorite, with 87.03 out of  a possible 100 points, ahead of Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr (85.02). Berlin’s now-withdrawn bid trailed far behind with just 74.64.

This is just the next step in a long process of deciding who will host the next three Olympic Summer Games. The International Olympic Committee isn’t to decide on who will host the 2036 Olympics until 2029.

This article, which was adapted from German, was originally published on September 23, 2026. It was updated on September 24 to reflect Berlin’s withdrawal from the process. 

Edmonton Oilers head coach Mike Babcock has responded to Hockey Hall of Famer and club legend Mark Messier’s criticism of his hiring.

During a recent ESPN media availability, Messier expressed his disappointment and directed criticism at Oilers management and the team’s leadership group.

When asked about the comments on Thursday, Babcock chose not to escalate the situation and instead spoke respectfully about the Oilers legend:

“One of these teams is Team Messier, right? When I watched him, hard leader, two-way, competitive. Went to New York, hard, two-way, competitive. Real leader. I’ve dealt with him two times in my life. He treated us great both times. Mark Messier is a legend here. I have nothing but respect for him,” said Babcock.

Here’s how fans on X reacted to Mike Babcock’s response, with one tweeting:

“Not a fan of Babcock… but good answer… good answer.”

Another chimed in:

“I feel bad for the most vulnerable player on the Oilers that Babcock will surely target. He can’t help himself. He’s just going to play his personality-disordered games in a more covert and passive-aggressive manner cause the light is on him now.”

Here are some of the other top reactions on X:

“Love this from Bab’s. Can’t wait to see him succeed and shut everybody up!” a third fan wrote.

“This guy has clearly worked on his PhD in PR somewhere between Columbus and Edmonton,” one X user opined.

“Classy. Opinion shifting classy,” another chimed in.

“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Lots of players have talked about the way he is, hard to not believe people that had firsthand experience with him,” added another.

What Mark Messier said about Mike Babcock

During ESPN’s media call, Mark Messier did not hold back when discussing the Oilers’ decision to hire Mike Babcock.

The Hall of Famer questioned the process that involved the team’s leadership group and expressed serious concerns about the lack of separation between players and management.

“I think there has to be a separation of powers on the structural level of any team. I think from the management to the coaching to the players, there has to be a divide. The leadership of your team has to protect the players inside the dressing room. How can you do that when you’re directly involved with the decisions they’re making at the management level and hiring of the management and coaches? I don’t understand it,” Messier said.

Due to Mike Babcock’s controversial past, the Oilers have faced significant backlash for the hiring. Babcock replaced Kris Knoblauch, who led the team to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals appearances in 2024 and 2025.