Die Linke election victory in Berlin complicates bid for 2036 and 2040 Olympic Games

Shift in political landscape

The outcome of the Berlin Abgeordnetenhaus election on 20 September 2026 weakened the municipal campaign to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Die Linke emerged as the winner of the state ballot, having run on a platform led by Elif Eralp that focused on housing and rent costs rather than large sports event financing. While the outgoing state administration of the CDU under Governing Mayor Kai Wegner and the SPD under Sports Senator Iris Spranger backed the bid, the victorious Left Party and the Greens oppose hosting the Games. Kaweh Niroomand, the 73-year-old Olympic commissioner for Berlin and manager of BR Volleys, stated that younger voters prioritized affordable living. Thomas Härtel, the 75-year-old president of the Landessportbund Berlin and former sports state secretary, acknowledged that the election outcome complicates the bid.

There is a certain increased uncertainty. But we will keep fighting until the end.

Opposition parties and coalition math

Both Die Linke and Alliance 90/The Greens, which together hold a potential coalition majority, have voiced consistent opposition to hosting the multi-sport event. Tobias Schulze, leader of the Left Party group in the Abgeordnetenhaus, stated in the week before the election that Berliners understand the Games do not benefit local sports and instead come at the expense of grassroots athletics. Klara Schedlich, sports policy spokesperson for the Green Party group in the state parliament, argued that the DOSB should bypass the capital in favor of Bavaria. Schedlich predicted that the assembly will select Munich and recommended that delegates do so.

With such a strong Left and us as the second strongest force in government, I do not think anyone can seriously think it is a good idea to award the Games to Berlin.

Nationwide competition and Baden-Baden assembly

The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) will announce the winning German candidate at its general assembly in Baden-Baden on 26 September 2026. Berlin is competing against Munich and the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region, which includes Cologne, to bid for the Olympic Games in 2036, 2040, or 2044. Unlike Munich and North Rhine-Westphalia, where local populations approved the project in referendums, Berlin has no public vote behind its candidacy, relying instead on a May 2026 Abgeordnetenhaus resolution supporting the Berlin+ concept. Local opponents in Berlin have spent months campaigning against the event and are seeking a public initiative to halt municipal participation. Niroomand noted that the DOSB vote taking place so soon after the election presents a heavy handicap for the capital.

Eastern German regional concept and venues

Despite the political headwinds, Niroomand confirmed that he will not withdraw the proposal, pointing out that the bid framework was originally created under an earlier three-party coalition. Berlin's concept emphasizes regional co-hosting across three eastern German states, incorporating sailing in Rostock-Warnemünde in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, golf in Brandenburg, canoe slalom in Markkleeberg, and football in Leipzig in Saxony. Niroomand stated that 97% of required venues already exist, requiring only one privately funded indoor arena, while Berlin possesses Germany's largest public transport network and nearly three times the geographic area of Munich. Härtel added that choosing Berlin supports national cohesion for 2040, marking 50 years since German reunification, unlike rival bids that selected Kiel over Rostock-Warnemünde for sailing competitions.

The idea of withdrawing the bid did not cross my mind.