Social Framework Conditions for an Olympic Bid – General Assembly Adopts “Frankfurt Declaration”
Frankfurt, 2 December 2023 – The 20th General Assembly of the German Olympic Sports Federation (DOSB) unanimously adopted the “Frankfurt Declaration” in Frankfurt am Main on Saturday. The delegates have thereby tasked the DOSB with the continuation of the “YOUR IDEAS. YOUR GAMES.” dialog process regarding a possible Olympic bid next year and with the development of a concrete concept, which is scheduled to be presented in summer 2024.
The “YOUR IDEAS. YOUR GAMES.” initiative has allowed the DOSB to provide society with an opportunity to engage in dialog in the digital and analog space since the beginning of July. The initiative reached close to 6.5 million people, and the expectations, requests, and criticism recorded in the surveys, dialog forums, and in the digital sphere were ultimately consolidated in the “Frankfurt Declaration”. Seven premises now form the social guidelines to be used by the DOSB in its creation of a bid concept.
“We have been able to get a pretty clear initial picture of what people expect when it comes to a bid and the staging of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Germany. Now it is up to the DOSB to develop a preliminary bid concept that actually meets those expectations,” says DOSB President Thomas Weikert. It is also essential that the dialog process continues well into the new year. “Even though a majority of the population is currently in favor of our bid proposal, we have to continue along our transparent and communicative path in order to reach even more people, make them understand the added value of a bid, and eliminate existing reservations,” says Thomas Weikert.
The “Frankfurt Declaration” was presented at the DOSB General Assembly by two citizens, among others, who had taken part in the dialog process. “In my opinion, the Frankfurt Declaration perfectly summarizes everything that I observed during the discussions. People want to see the Olympics hosted in Germany, but clear framework conditions must be adhered to, and the event should not be permitted to take place at all costs. I am curious to see how the DOSB plans to consolidate the numerous expectations into one concept,” says Benjamin Weindl, a participant in the dialog forum in Berlin.
Participating Cities and Federal States sign “Memorandum of Understanding”
The concept development process will be carried out in the months to come in cooperation with the cities of Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Leipzig, and Munich as well as the federal states of Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia. All of the interested and suitable cities that have been involved in the process over the past few months – as well as DOSB President Thomas Weikert – have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which governs the continuation of the collaboration. “We are delighted to have joined forces with regional and local politicians. Our goal now is to work together with the local authorities and federal states to create a concept that represents the best solution for our country and has the greatest chance of success internationally,” says Thomas Weikert.
The MoU has not yet been signed by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Home Affairs due to current circumstances. However, as Interior Minister Nancy Faeser emphasized during the DOSB General Assembly, the federal government’s signature has been postponed, not canceled: “We intend to continue along the path that we have taken together with the DOSB and the participating federal states and cities. We want to jointly give shape to a German bid and to use the power of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to benefit our country and sports in general.”
“Needless to say, we respect the fact that the federal government currently has a number of challenges to overcome that are more important than the possible hosting of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in more than ten years’ time. Nevertheless, we expect and need a clear commitment from the federal government at an early stage of the bid process. In the past few days, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz has repeatedly stressed the Federal Government’s commitment to adhering to all of its goals, even given the current circumstances. We have every confidence in his statements because, according to the coalition agreement, hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games are on the federal government’s list of goals,” said DOSB President Thomas Weikert.
The “Frankfurt Declaration” can be found here.
Quotes by the signatories of the “Memorandum of Understanding” and the corresponding images can be found here.