Markus Söder and Munich Mayor Dominik Krause have positioned Germany’s newly designated Olympic bid for the 2036, 2040, or 2044 Summer Games as a pan-national project centered in the country’s geographical core, addressing political divisions across federal states following an announcement in Baden-Baden.
The Baden-Baden Declaration and the National Bid
Following Munich’s selection as Germany’s national applicant for an upcoming Summer Olympics, Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder and Munich Mayor Dominik Krause emerged as a bipartisan political pairing representing the Christian Social Union (CSU) and The Greens. Söder framed the prospective games not merely as a regional showcase for Bavaria, but as a unifying initiative spanning Germany’s north, south, west, east, and central regions.
The announcement in Baden-Baden linked the modern bid to historical precedents, drawing comparisons to the 1972 Munich Olympics and its sailing events hosted in Kiel.
Political Dynamics Between Munich and Berlin
The cooperative stance struck by Söder and Krause offers a contrast to political friction seen in other metropolitan areas. In Berlin, previous opposition from local factions among left-wing and Green parties effectively sidelined the capital from pursuing a bid, leaving Munich as the primary domestic engine for the project.
By bringing together a senior conservative state leader and a younger urban mayor from the Green party, the Munich bid attempts to project broad political consensus.
Next Steps
The path forward requires substantial planning and financial commitments from both state and federal authorities before the evaluation of candidate cities for the 2036 cycle and beyond.
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