Four German cities or regions are applying to host the Olympic Games. In three variants Kiel could be included as the venue for the water sports events. Politics and business are therefore already, in true Olympic fashion, “fire and flame.” A company with the same name, founded by the Kiel Chamber of Commerce and the Yacht Club, and a city advertising campaign are meant to create a positive mood for the citizens’ decision. On April 19 Kiel can say “Yes” or “No” to Olympia.
“Great” was the most frequently used word by Kiel’s acting mayor Ulf Kämpfer at a press conference on Thursday at the start of the advertising campaign. For the SPD politician, this is already his third Olympic bid: Kiel ran in 2015 together with Hamburg, but the bid failed due to the Hamburg population voting against it.
In 2021 the Olympic Committee then decided against the combination of the Rhine-Ruhr region with Kiel. Now it is about the games in 2036, 2040 or 2044. Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and again Rhine-Ruhr are in the race. Only Berlin is counting on Warnemünde as the water-sports site, the other regions lean toward Kiel, Hamburg has already declared Schleswig-Holstein.
“This time I have a good feeling,” Kämpfer said. For him it would be a farewell success: In April his successor Samet Yilmaz (Greens) will take over the leadership of the town hall, Kämpfer will then focus as the SPD’s top candidate on the state election in 2027.
1936, 1972 – and now 2036?
Kiel has already hosted the Olympics twice, in particularly notable years: 1936, when the Nazi state celebrated itself on the world stage, and 1972, when 17 people died in the terrorist attack on the Israeli team in Munich. From Kiel’s perspective, however, the Games were a complete success: “Do it like Kiel” has been a byword in the sailing world since 1972, said Dirk Ramhorst, regatta chief of Kiel Week and an advocate of the Olympics.
For the current bid he sees many “good arguments,” above all one: “Sport shows every year that we can do it.” Because Kiel Week is considered one of the largest sailing events in the world, around 4,500 sailors compete in various competitions, Ramhorst reported. At the Olympics the number of participants is limited to 380.
The Olympic Village is to be converted, after remodeling, into social housing that the city needs anyway
The state parliament had already unanimously decided to apply: “We all want to bring the Olympics to Kiel,” said Interior Minister Magdalena Finke (CDU) at the press conference. It is important that “the Games adapt to the host, not the host to the Games.” Schleswig-Holstein’s “down-to-earthness” should be expressed; new buildings should only be built if they can be used afterwards.
Among other things, the Olympic Village should be converted after a renovation into social housing that the city needs anyway: “It is an investment that we would gladly support,” said Finke. Around 35 million euros are earmarked for the buildings in the area. The amount is, however, uncertain: If Hamburg were the main host, other sports could hold their competitions in Kiel – more buildings would then be needed.
Costs are “a real bargain”
Investments in the sporting infrastructure in the Schilksee district, planned because they are needed for Kiel Week, are already in the works: including refurbishment work that Kämpfer estimated at 10 to 15 million euros, and the construction of a boat hall for another ten million. Subsidies from state and federal sources have already been promised, also independently of Olympia. Overall, the costs would be kept within bounds, but the impact would be significant: “This is a real bargain,” Kämpfer said.
Not only Kiel, but also the surrounding region could profit from the Games, emphasized Knud Hansen, president of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and Barbara Ostmeier, president of the State Sports Association. While the economy relies on the financial “booster,” Ostmeier spoke of promoting sport and giving a boost to small clubs that are the home of tomorrow’s talents.
The main concern of the supporters of Kiel’s third Games: too little participation in the referendum, which is framed under the motto “Yes to Olympia.” There is no notable NOlympia movement in Kiel, according to Kämpfer. In fact, the city is accustomed to major events through the annual Kiel Week. Nevertheless, there are people who view Kiel’s participation in the Games critically.
These include members of the city parliament from the Left and Die PARTEI. Left Party politician Björn Thoroe criticizes investments in mega-events and doubts that the Olympic Village can be transformed into affordable housing without substantial costs. At a salon on March 10 in Kiel, opponents and supporters of the bid exchange views.
