Prospective Olympic Bid: Expert Talk on the 1936, 1972, and 2036(?) Olympic Games

Frankfurt, 19 September 2023 – In the past, the Olympic Games often served as a stage from which political stances were taken. In the case of the 1936 Games, they were even misused to promote propaganda. One thing is clear: On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Berlin Games, German sports must take a critical look at this historic event and come to terms with it in a way that goes far beyond the realm of sports – no matter where the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games are held. That, however, is not the only thing that concerns those involved in German sports: The assassinations that occurred during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich mark another chapter in (sports) history that needs to be further addressed.

The OUR HISTORY. OUR FUTURE. OUR GAMES. talk centers around the historical reappraisal of the 1936 and 1972 Olympic Games. How will Germany’s renewed Olympic and Paralympic bids be affected – especially with a view to the 2036 Games?

Those questions, as well as others, will be discussed with the guests of our panel at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, 19 September live on deine-spiele.de.

The talk will feature five experts, all of whom will share their respective points of view:

• Torsten Burmester – Chairman of the Board, German Olympic Sports Federation
• Hannah Lühmann – Deputy Head of the Feature Section, WELT
• Rikola-Gunnar Lüttgenau – Head of Strategic Communications and Public Relations, Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Memorials Foundation
• Alon Meyer – President, Makkabi Deutschland e.V.
• Christopher Young – Historian and Member of the Commission for the Reappraisal of the 1972 Games

One thing is clear for journalist Hannah Lühmann: Anyone who thinks that Berlin will be a capital of “cosmopolitanism” during the 2036 Olympic

Games is radically optimistic. Alon Meyer, President of the Jewish umbrella sports association MAKKABI Germany, makes a strong case for dealing with our history and underscores the resulting responsibility that we bear in terms of our present and our future: “By hosting the 2015 European Maccabi Games at the Olympic site in Berlin, which was built by the Nazis, the Jewish sports community sent a clear signal that Jewish life in Germany should be seen as a matter of course. The only way that we can consider making an Olympic bid 100 years after Hitler’s propaganda-filled Games is by respecting human rights, being tolerant, and promoting active participation of everyone.”

Additional information can be found on the initiative’s website and social media platforms: www.deine-spiele.de