Frankfurt Declaration

Societal framework conditions for a german bid for the Olympic and Paralympic games

YOUR IDEAS. YOUR GAMES. – is the title of the dialogue initiative launched by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) at the beginning of July 2023. The aim was to pool the expectations, wishes and criticism of the German population regarding a bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The results of many different discussions and dialogue formats have now been compiled into seven specific demands and adopted by the DOSB General Assembly on 2 December 2023. How should a German Olympic bid be organised? Find out on this page.

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Lighthouse project Olympic and Paralympic Games

In times of manifold challenges, geopolitical changes and increasing polarisation, the longing for meaningful projects for the future is growing in our country. For projects behind which people can unite in a society that is drifting ever further apart. For projects that can alleviate the clearly perceptible state of exhaustion and restore confidence in times of multiple crises. For projects that send out the signal that joint investment in the future and optimism in our society are worthwhile.

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Multi-sport events such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games can be such a motivating, unifying and emotionalising flagship project for Germany, especially in challenging times like these. They can provide important impetus to bring society out of its resignation mode; perhaps more than ever, as the European Championships in Munich and the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin have recently shown impressively. After all, the Olympic and Paralympic Games continue to inspire people all over the world. At no other major sporting event are the global diversity, social significance and social responsibility of sport more visible.

With a modern approach and adapted to the host’s circumstances, they can deliver added value for society that goes far beyond sport. Designed from the outset to be modern, transparent, sustainable, cost-reduced and participatory and anchored in the centre of society, the Olympic and Paralympic Games can have a lasting impact beyond the boundaries of sport in many areas that are important for a modern and resilient society. This should be the primary goal of a renewed bid. Not the pursuit of economic gain, but the creation of maximum added value for society. Above all for sport, but also for other areas of society. For as many people in Germany as possible. But what can this added value look like? What expectations must a concept fulfil so that a majority of the population will support a bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games even in difficult times? Are Games in summer or winter more interesting for the majority of citizens? Should the Games be held in many regions of our country at best or should compactness take centre stage? And which aspects of ecological, economic and social sustainability are particularly important to people in connection with multi-sport events such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Germany?

In order to obtain important initial answers to these and other questions – unlike in previous bids – before a bid concept was drawn up, the DOSB launched a dialogue initiative in July 2023 in accordance with a resolution passed at its 2022 General Assembly. As part of this initiative, many talks and discussions were held with interest groups from sport, politics and business. Above all, however, a wide range of dialogue was also offered to civil society with the overarching aim of obtaining an initial, thoroughly representative picture of society’s expectations with regard to a potential bid. An opinion that includes not only the expectations of passionate sports and Olympic fans, but also those of quiet supporters, sceptics and critics.

DIALOGUE INITIATIVE YOUR IDEAS. YOUR GAMES.

YOUR IDEAS. YOUR GAMES. – that is the title of the dialogue initiative launched by the DOSB at the beginning of July 2023. The primary aim, in line with one of the self-imposed premises for a new bid, was to involve society in the planning process before a concept was drawn up, to ascertain people‘s expectations and criticism, and to consolidate this information and use it as the mandatory baseline for the further development of a bid.

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Other objectives of the communication process in 2023 were to provide as much information as possible about the new framework conditions for a bid as a result of the IOC’s reform process (Olympic Agenda 2020, Olympic Agenda 2020+5, The New Norm) and to provide comprehensive information about the DOSB’s basic strategic ideas and premises for a bid. This communicative process must be continued in 2024. It is also important to continue the work begun this year to raise awareness of the IOC’s reformed framework conditions and the DOSB’s completely new bid strategy in as many areas of society as possible. It is also important to further reduce the reservations that have arisen in the past and still exist against the Olympic Games in Germany and the IOC awarding the Games. The dialogue process was structured DEINE IDEEN. DEINE SPIELE. dialogue process, which the DOSB financed from its own funds, was structured into three communication levels.

FRAMEWORK CONDITIONS FOR A GERMAN OLYMPIC BID

The findings of the various dialogue formats and discussions, summarised into seven social demands, were evaluated by the opinion research institute forsa in a nationwide, representative survey. The results of this market research can be found in the appendix to this declaration, along with the results of the survey conducted continuously since the beginning of the year by the ONE8Y agency on public approval of a possible bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

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Impetus for the entire country
85 %

demand added value for areas other than sport

56 %

are convinced that the Games will provide impetus towards a modern and open society

  • The hosting of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Germany must be anchored in the heart of society and provide impetus for a modern, diverse, and open Germany. They must contribute to the creation of a vision for our future life together, strengthen cohesion, and deliver added value for as many people as possible.
  • Already the bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games alone must generate positive effects for our country beyond the realm of sports and provide fresh impetus for existing development plans in various areas of society. The expansion and modernisation of the nationwide railway network, local public transport, barrier-free mobility in urban and rural areas, digital transformation, the reduction of bureaucracy, and the creation of inclusive exercise opportunities are just a few examples.
  • Potential Olympic and Paralympic Villages have to be designed with maximum sustainability in mind and offer living space for people after the Games.
  • The hosting of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Germany must be an inspirational event that integrates other areas of society, such as education, science, art, and culture, thereby providing impetus particularly for younger generations.
  • The bid for and the staging of the Olympic and Paralympic Games should strengthen Germany‘s reputation and international perception and have a lasting positive impact, which should also have knock-on effects on the economy and tourism. Nationwide campaigns and projects should get Germany emotionally invested in the Olympic and Paralympic Games at an early stage to get things moving.
  • Within the context of a bid and the structuring of contracts, care must be taken to ensure that, as far as legal possibilities allow, particularly German or regional companies are considered when awarding contracts, and that sustainable framework conditions are adhered to.
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MAXIMUM SUSTAINABLE GAMES
88 %

consider the minimisation of environmental damage to be important

55 %

are convinced that the Olympics can promote inclusion, integration and equality

  • A bid must be accompanied by a detailed human rights and sustainability concept that is based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the United Nations (UN) and sets guidelines that enable maximum sustainable planning/implementation of the event while simultaneously meeting the demands of a modern society.
  • Climate impact and environmental damage caused by the Olympic and Paralympic Games must be kept to a minimum. Therefore, the renunciation of large new buildings and venues is fully embraced.
  • When drawing up a concept, particular attention must be paid to the issues of accessibility, equality, inclusion, integration, participation, and respect for human rights.
  • The involvement of younger generations when planning and drawing up concepts must be taken into consideration.
  • Olympic and Paralympic Games in Germany must be affordable for everyone. Therefore, free events and a price structure that enables affordable tickets must be part of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Germany.
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ADDED VALUE FOR SPORTS IN GERMANY
88 %

demand long-term and positive effects for grassroots and youth sport

85 %

are convinced that the Olympics promote competitive sport and arouse widespread enthusiasm for sport

  • Already the bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games must ensure that a master plan is developed that consolidates sports resources and enables the major challenges of the future to be tackled jointly, actively, and in a targeted manner.
  • The post-Games use of sports facilities that are modernised for the Olympic and Paralympic Games must be fully guaranteed.
  • A bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games should result in improved infrastructural and personnel conditions for elite sports, associations, school sports, and recreational sports in Germany. A bid must, therefore, be combined with the creation of a nationwide sports facilities construction and renovation programme as well as the strengthening of volunteer work.
  • Sports and exercise should become self-evident, visible parts of our society already as a result of the bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, motivating people to exercise.
  • The Olympic and Paralympic Games must sustainably promote sports in all facets and drive the creation of stronger ties between recreational and elite sports.
  • The hosting of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Germany should provide long-term support for all types of sports, especially those outside the media spotlight. New role models for future generations should be created.
  • The hosting of the Olympic and Paralympic Games should result in the further development of physical activity and sports offerings at daycare centers and schools, in public spaces, and in neighbourhoods through modern impulses, innovative concepts, and low-threshold participation opportunities for people in all phases and walks of life, enabling sports to unleash their health-promoting and unifying effects.
  • Already a rough first concept for hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Germany must include initial legacy projects and measures that integrate recreational and competitive sports at an early stage to strengthen them in the long term.
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LONG-TERM PARTICIPATION AND VOICE IN THE PROCESS
65 %

call for a vote in the cities before submitting an application

54 %

Those who attended a dialogue forum believe that a regional citizens’ referendum is absolutely essential.

  • Society welcomes early involvement in the process – even before the decision on a bid has been made. However, the participation process that has already begun should by no means end with the Frankfurt Declaration.
  • Given the fact that the period leading up to the potential hosting of the Games is quite long, the development of participation formats that meet particularly the needs of younger generations is essential.
  • A modern participation concept needs to be developed that allows for a long-term and transparent participation of the population at a national and local level, and appropriate and binding influence of the population from the planning of the bid through to the possible staging of the Games.
  • The possibility of proactive, regional citizens‘ referendums must be considered and evaluated by politics and sports once a bid and a participation concept have been developed.
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SOUND PLANNING AND PREVENTION OF EXCESSIVE COSTS TO BE COVERED AT THE EXPENSE OF TAXPAYERS
84 %

demand that costs be kept as low as possible

  • Continuous cost awareness and maximum transparency, including in the economic area, must be at the heart of the economic planning process of a bid.
  • When developing a Games concept, care must be taken to ensure that the economically most sustainable approach is chosen.
  • The bid and the staging of the Olympic and Paralympic Games must be subject to a realistic, justifiable, and binding cost cap. The plans must be determined by the available budget, not the other way around.
  • With the presentation of the bid concept next year, a sound and comprehensible financial plan for the bid and particularly for the staging of the Games must be available.
  • The economic benefits of the Olympic and Paralympic Games must be evaluated and any potential risks must be clearly identified.
  • Prior to the final submission of a bid to the IOC, it must be clarified and transparently communicated which part of the costs will be covered by revenues of the Games and which part will be financed with taxpayers’ money by different authorities (local, regional, national).
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GAMES FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTRY
81 %

favour a distribution of the games over more than one city

33 %

of those who attended a dialogue forum can imagine nationwide games

  • The hosting of the Olympic and Paralympic Games must benefit people across the country. As many people as possible, both from Germany and the neighbouring countries, should be able to experience the Olympics within a comparatively short travel time.
  • In case of a decentralised Games concept, care must be taken to ensure that the travel distances and times between the various venues and the accommodation offered are as sustainable and cost-effective as possible.
  • The expansion to several cities and regions should furthermore contribute to the DOSB‘s fundamental premise of only including existing and temporarily upgraded sports and event venues in the bid concept.
  • Irrespective of the venues, the hosting of the Olympic and Paralympic Games must generate added value for the whole of Germany. Therefore, a bid concept must take projects/measures into account that have an impact beyond the host cities and trigger positive emotions throughout the country.
  • The interests of the athletes must be at the center of (not only) the logistical planning and implementation of any concept.
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MAJORITY CURRENTLY IN FAVOUR OF HOSTING GAMES IN SUMMER
67 %

prefer games in summer

  • Based on the results of the dialogue process and opinion research, a majority of German society is currently in favour of hosting a summer edition of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
  • The DOSB has been asked to conduct a binding review as to whether and under what conditions a bid for the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games from 2038 onwards would be feasible in addition to a bid for the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games – in particular considering the respective prospects of success and possible cooperation models with neighbouring countries. The review will be conducted as soon as the IOC has finalised and published the application and implementation criteria for the Winter Olympics to be held from 2038 onward.
  • A bid for the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games is largely regarded as an opportunity for Germany. Germany would have the opportunity, 100 years after the propaganda Games in Berlin and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, to present itself as a democratic, modern, and cosmopolitan country that can responsibly deal with its past while simultaneously staging colourful Games in the heart of Europe.
  • The 2036 Games are the next Summer edition of the Games to be awarded by the IOC, which is why a bid must be submitted for 2036. Nonetheless, the focus of a bid, also for this particular year, must be on sports and the lasting legacy of the Games, and not on a culture of remembrance.
  • The 2036 Games provide a good opportunity for the appropriate and sensitive communication of German history, especially to younger generations.
  • Since the international prospects of a German bid for 2036 may be viewed critically given the historical context and other geopolitical circumstances, a concept must be developed that also paves the way for a bid for the 2040 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
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YOUR IDEAS. YOUR GAMES.
5
Dialogue forums
9
Expert talks
1
Frankfurt Declaration
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The Frankfurt Declaration as PDF

Would you like to read the Frankfurt Declaration in compact PDF format and take a look at all the results of the opinion research? You can download it in the corresponding speech bubble.

You can also use the links to access the recordings of all the expert talks and panel discussions from the dialogue forums, which are still available. We would like to invite you to find out more about the nine specialist talks and the five analogue dialogue forums digitally via the other pages of our website and the social media channels and to discuss them with us. We would like to continue to engage in dialogue with you and learn about your expectations, wishes and criticism regarding a potential application.

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DIGITAL DIALOGUE

In an ongoing digital dialogue via website, mailing and social media, more than six million people have so far been made aware of the process of a possible bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Citizens have been able to express their opinions in surveys and via various contact options on the website and social media. Over 70,000 interactions and an engagement rate of 3.6 per cent show that interested people are also engaging intensively with the topic of an Olympic bid in the digital space. Around 15,000 users had visited the deinespiele.de website by the end of November 2023.

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Expert talks

The DOSB organised nine expert talks in August and September to generate opinions from experts in sport, politics, business, science and society for further strategic and content-related considerations on the way to a possible bid. The main purpose of these discussion rounds was to gather arguments and key statements for and against a renewed bid in the most important social areas. For reasons of communicative transparency and so that citizens could also contribute to this format, they were streamed live and in full length. On average, the talks achieved 400 views each by the beginning of November. Excerpts from the programmes on social media have so far achieved reach in the low five-digit range.

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Dialogue forums

In five dialogue forums open to the public in the potential candidate cities of Leipzig (30.9.), Hamburg (21.10.), Munich (5.11.), Berlin (12.11.) and Düsseldorf (13.11.), a direct, analogue dialogue was offered to local people. Regional guests from various sectors had their say in panel discussions at the half-day to full-day events. Keynote speeches outlined the reform processes initiated by the IOC, the DOSB’s strategic approach and thus the framework conditions for a possible bid. At the heart of the dialogue forums were discussion rounds on the topics of “Sustainability”, “Sport”, “Society”, “Future” and “Economics”, in which visitors were able to express their specific expectations, wishes and ideas with regard to the design of a bid concept.

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The response ranged from Berlin with 589 visitors to Munich (487), Leipzig (311) and Düsseldorf (175) to Hamburg with 88 guests. As a result, it should be noted that the visitors, regardless of their opinion on the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Germany, rated the DOSB’s approach of offering dialogue at an early stage as positive and made extensive use of this offer on site. In addition, a digital questionnaire was used to collect opinions on the Olympic and Paralympic Games from 530 guests and passers-by on the fringes of the dialogue forums. The results can be found on the website and in the appendix to this declaration. The results of all dialogue formats and discussions were clustered thematically by the DOSB with the support of the Leadership Academy into seven overarching premises of the Frankfurt Declaration. The ideas for measures or projects submitted or developed by citizens in the digital and analogue dialogue formats, some of which are already very concrete, will be published on the deine-spiele.de website in the near future and will be taken into account to a large extent when creating a bid concept.