Berlin is one of two German cities, along with Hamburg, interested in bidding for what if successful would be the first Games on German soil since Munich 1972, and the first in the capital city since 1936.

Speaking following a senate meeting today in which the Mayor also announced he would be stepping down following 13 years in office on December 11, Wowereit confirmed a referendum would be held to ascertain public opinion over whether to bid.

"We will answer the questionnaire of the DOSB (German Olympic Sports Confederation) and then we will unveil our concept on September 1," he said.

"I am confident we will answer those questions well.

"After that there will be a vote for all Berliners to decide.

"We want the widest possible support in this."

The announcement comes five days before the August 31 deadline set by the DOSB for contenders to submit their responses to a questionnaire about their bid.

The National Olympic Committee will then decide which, if either, of the two to put forward, and it appears likely a final decision will not be announced until next year, before the opening of the official International Olympic Committee (IOC) bid process next autumn. 

Berlin's only previous Olympic Games came in 1936, although the city was awarded the 1916 edition, eventually cancelled due to World War One ©Getty Images



Berlin's announcement comes at a fascinating time for an Olympic Movement in the midst of the Olympic Agenda 2020 reform process, particularly due to the widespread apathy surrounding Olympic bids from many European countries.

This has been most evident in the bidding process for the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics where Kraków, Stockholm and Lviv have all withdrawn from the race and in Oslo - one of the three surviving candidates - there remains vast popular opposition.

A bid from Munich for the 2022 Games also failed to reach the start line after failing to pass a referendum last November.

And the last time Berlin attempted to bid for an Olympic Games, for the 2000 edition eventually awarded to Sydney, there were a series of protests against the campaign.

This included fires, smashed windows, vandalised automobiles, disrupted athletics competitions and the explosion of bombs in front of buildings that were owned by three prominent sponsors of the bid, Daimler-Benz, Berliner Bank and Hertie's, a department store chain.

Four days before the final vote in Monte Carlo in 1993 in which Berlin were eliminated in the second round, tens of thousands of anti-Olympic protesters marched through the German capital to make clear their opposition to the campaign.

It remains to be seen if there will be better support in Germany this time around but, so far at least, the signs are good, and it appears likely Hamburg, a city without any experience of hosting a Summer or Winter Games, will also bid.

Hamburg appears likely to launch a bid to rival Berlin ©Getty Images




In Hamburg, a survey has found 73 per cent of the city population support the bid, and the two largest parties, the Social Democrats and Christian Democrats, are both thought to be in support of the project. 

Speaking here at the Summer Youth Olympic Games before the announcement this morning, DOSB communications director Christian Klaue told insidethegames it is a question of "when not if" Germany will mount a bid.

"We do want to bid, but it is a question of the right time and the right city," he said.

Klaue added that the question of a bid will be discussed at the DOSB Board Meeting on September 11 and then again at the General Assembly taking place in Dresden on December 6, although it is not certain a decision will be made at either meeting.

Germany's International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, who stood down as DOSB chief shortly after assuming the Presidency last September, has also given his tacit endorsement.

Bach also said here last week that "a German bid, supported by a vast majority of the population, would be a very, very strong one, it would really have a good chance".

A number of other European cities are considering bids for 2024, including Paris on what would be the 100th anniversary of the 1924 Games there, as well as Rome and Istanbul.

But it is assumed, though, that an American city will start as the favourite, particularly after the signing of a long-term agreement between the IOC and broadcasting giants NBC Universal in June.

With changes to the bidding process on the cards, these other contenders are awaiting the outcome of Agenda 2020, due to be decided upon at the IOC Session in Monte Carlo on December 8 and 9, before making a final decision either way.

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