Berlin’s Olympic ambitions face a decisive hurdle as 20 members of the city’s bid committee have issued a direct written appeal to top Left party candidate Elif Eralp. They are urging her to reconsider her stance after she declared the project finished following her recent election victory.
Berlin Bid Committee Appeals to Left Party Leader
The push comes at a critical juncture for German sports governance.
Saturday Vote Looms in Baden-Baden
On Saturday, the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) is scheduled to vote on which German region will receive the official nomination for future Olympic and Paralympics Games. Berlin is competing alongside Munich and the Rhine-Ruhr region anchored by Cologne.
Saturday’s upcoming DOSB meeting in Baden-Baden will determine the path forward for Germany’s national candidate selection, leaving little time for the requested exchanges between bid proponents and Berlin’s political leadership.
Election Fallout and Financial Criticism
Eralp, who could become Berlin’s Governing Mayor following Sunday’s election results, stated a day after her party’s win that the bid’s fate was settled.
“The election is over,” write the 20 members of the Berlin bid curatorium in their letter to Eralp. “Now it should be about weighing arguments, listening to one another, and also reviewing positions that were represented in the election campaign based on the concept that is now available.”
Cross-Sector Support for Berlin Plus
The curatorium includes representatives from across Berlin’s political, economic, sports, societal, and religious sectors, notably featuring Left party politician Dietmar Bartsch among the signatories. The group has pressed Eralp to thoroughly examine “Berlin+” and the jointly developed blueprint before any final determinations are made ahead of the DOSB general assembly in Baden-Baden.
“Berlin has the opportunity with this application to set long-term milestones for the development of the city and to present itself both nationally and internationally.”
Calls for Dialogue Meet Active Opposition
Organizers have echoed the call for direct dialogue. Kaweh Niroomand, the official Olympic representative for the bid, emphasized the importance of respect and communication despite Eralp’s stated opposition.
“Frau Eralp wants to unite the city and bring people together. Then it would be respectful to talk to those responsible for the application one more time, even if her position is clear,” Niroomand told the German Press Agency.
The opposition to the bid remains active on multiple fronts. Concurrently, the Berlin NOlympia Alliance submitted its own open letter to the DOSB, with representatives scheduling a press conference to outline their counterarguments against the Olympic project.
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