Berlin (AFP) - Munich was on Saturday selected ahead of the Cologne/Rhine-Ruhr region by the German Olympic Committee (DOSB) as part of a bid to host the 2036, 2040 or 2044 Summer Games.

The decision was announced by German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier in the south-western spa town of Baden-Baden.

Launched as a race between four candidates, the DOSB was given a choice between two after Berlin withdrew on Thursday and Hamburg’s withdrawal in May.

“We’re thinking about all of Germany,” Bavarian state premier Markus Soeder said on stage after the announcement of Munich’s successful bid.

“The Cologne bid made things really tough for us and pretty tense until the end.

“I want that we work jointly to bring the games to Germany. It is a chance at something historic and we want to give everything to present ourselves as a united country – from north to south and from east to west.

“That’s our goal and what we’re working towards. Thank you for the trust.”

The Munich bid centres on the Olympic Park in the north of the city. Built for the 1972 Games, it has undergone extensive renovations in recent years.

In a statement issued moments after the announcement, German chancellor Friedrich Merz congratulated Munich.

“Germany has an Olympic candidate. Munich will enter the race on our behalf, and I warmly congratulate the state capital and the Free State of Bavaria on this,” he said.

“Now, together with our Olympic candidate, we eagerly look forward to this major event… Germany is ready for the Olympics.”

- Successful Munich referendum -

In order to shore up support for the bid, Munich held a referendum in the autumn of 2025. Almost two-thirds (66.4 percent) of voters cast their ballot in support of hosting the games, on a turnout of 44 percent.

The positive result was a stark contrast to previous Olympic referenda, with votes to host the 2022 Winter Games in Munich or the 2024 Summer Games in Hamburg failing to win support.

Hamburg’s hopes to be chosen as a potential host city by the DOSB for the 2036, 2040 or 2044 Games were undermined by a negative public consultation while another hopeful, Berlin, decided against holding a referendum.

The DOSB is set to begin a “continuous dialogue” process with the IOC ahead of a shortlisting process in March 2027.

The IOC will designate one or more preferred hosts in late 2028, with an eventual bid to be selected by the IOC in mid 2029.

Since the last time the Summer Games were on German soil in 1972, Germany has launched seven unsuccessful bids to again play host.

If the bid is successfully chosen by the IOC, it will be the third time Germany has hosted the Olympics. Berlin hosted the Games in 1936 with Germany then under Nazi leadership, while Munich played host to the 1972 Games, then as part of West Germany.

The 1972 edition in Munich was marred by the attack on the Israeli delegation in the Olympic Village, which resulted in the deaths of 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team.

The only other Games held on German soil were the 1936 Winter Olympics, held in the southern town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.