2026 Hamburg Olympics referendum
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The 2026 Hamburg Olympic referendum was a citywide referendum held on 31 May 2026 in the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg.[1] Voters were asked whether the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), should apply with Hamburg as the host city for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036, 2040 or 2044.[2] The referendum was the second time in just over a decade that Hamburg residents were asked to decide on an Olympic bid. In 2015, the city had already rejected a bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics, when 51.7 percent of participating voters opposed continuing the candidacy.[2][3]
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31 May 2026
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I am in favor of the German Olympic Sports Confederation applying, with the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg as the host city, to stage the Olympic and Paralympic Games for the years 2036, 2040, or 2044. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2026 referendum again resulted in a rejection. The final results confirm that 54.9 percent voted No, while 45.1 percent voted Yes, with a voter turnout of 49.6 percent. Turnout was reported at about 49.6 percent. The result ended Hamburg’s participation in the German national selection process before the DOSB’s planned decision on which German city or region should be put forward internationally.
Background
The Hamburg vote took place in the context of a broader attempt by Germany to return to the Olympic stage as a Summer Games host. Germany had last hosted the Summer Olympics in Munich in 1972, and several German cities and regions sought to position themselves for a future bid under the more flexible and sustainability-oriented bidding framework promoted by the IOC and the DOSB. Hamburg’s Senate presented its renewed proposal as part of a national race in which Berlin, Munich and the Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr region were also preparing concepts for Games in 2036, 2040 or 2044.[4]
The German Olympic Sports Confederation treated the process as a multi-city national competition. By late 2025, the DOSB had stated that Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Rhine-Ruhr had completed the first stage of the application process. Hamburg therefore entered the referendum not merely as a city deciding whether to host the Games, but as one of several possible German candidates seeking to persuade the DOSB that it could offer the strongest combination of public support, infrastructure, sports legacy and international appeal.
Public consultation played an important role in Hamburg’s renewed bid. In the run-up to the referendum, the city conducted an “Olympia” preliminary project with online participation and district-level events. In a government statement in May 2026, First Mayor Peter Tschentscher said that more than 800 suggestions had been submitted and that more than 150 had been incorporated into the concept. The Senate argued that, unlike earlier Olympic models, the new approach would rely heavily on existing venues, short distances and long-term urban development projects.[4]
Competing German bids
In Munich, a citizens’ referendum on the city’s possible bid for the 2036, 2040 or 2044 Olympic and Paralympic Games produced a clear majority in favour. The official final result published by the City of Munich recorded 305,349 Yes votes, or 66.4 percent, against 154,359 No votes, or 33.6 percent.[5] The Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr bid, involving multiple municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia, also reported broad support. The official campaign site stated that about 66 percent of voters across the participating municipalities supported the bid, with roughly 1.4 million votes cast. The Rhine-Ruhr concept was presented as a regional model rather than a single-city bid, using existing sports infrastructure across a dense metropolitan area.[6]
Berlin followed a different path. Unlike Hamburg, Munich and the Rhine-Ruhr municipalities, Berlin did not hold a referendum before moving forward. The Berlin House of Representatives approved the city’s Olympic concept on 21 May 2026, with the CDU, SPD, AfD and one Left Party member voting in favour, while the Greens and the Left opposed it. Reports noted that Berlin had avoided a referendum partly because of constitutional concerns, leaving parliamentary approval as the central political mandate for the bid.[7]
Hamburg’s partner city Kiel, which had been intended as a sailing venue in the Hamburg concept, voted separately on Olympic participation. Kiel approved involvement in a possible Olympic bid on 19 April 2026, with reports giving support at 63.5 percent. Hamburg’s rejection therefore had consequences beyond the city itself, since it weakened or ended the Hamburg-Kiel bid combination while leaving other potential sailing locations, such as Rostock-Warnemünde in the Berlin concept, in contention.
Voting
Legal framework and referendum question
The referendum was formally a Bürgerschaftsreferendum, an instrument under Hamburg’s constitution by which the Hamburg Parliament can submit a matter of fundamental citywide importance to a binding popular vote. The official notice stated that such a referendum binds both the Parliament and the Senate. The Hamburg Parliament had approved the referendum on 14 January 2026 following a proposal by the Senate.[8]
The official question on the ballot was: “I am in favour of the German Olympic Sports Confederation applying with the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg as the host city for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036, 2040 or 2044. Do you approve this proposal?”
Voters could mark either Yes or No, and each eligible voter had one vote. The official notice set the referendum date for Sunday, 31 May 2026, with polling stations open from 8:00 to 18:00.
Eligibility and voting procedure
Eligibility was based on the rules for Hamburg parliamentary elections. Eligible voters were German citizens who, on referendum day, had reached the age of 16, had lived or ordinarily resided in Hamburg for at least three months, and were not excluded from voting under Hamburg election law. This meant that many residents of Hamburg without German citizenship, including EU citizens and long-term non-German residents, were not entitled to vote.[2][8]
The voting documents were sent by post to eligible voters registered in the electoral roll. The official package included a voting notification, an information booklet with statements on the referendum subject, a postal voting certificate, a white ballot for postal voting, a white ballot envelope, a red return envelope and instructions for postal voting. The official notice stated that these documents were to arrive by 10 May 2026. Voters who had not received them by that date were advised to contact a district voting office.[2]
Postal voting played an important role. Voters could mark the white postal ballot, place it in the white envelope, sign the voting certificate, and return both documents in the red postal voting envelope. Postal votes had to reach the relevant district voting authority by 18:00 on 31 May 2026. The official notice also allowed voters to hand in the red envelope at district offices or vote in person at district voting service offices.[8]
The counting process was public. Postal voting envelopes were checked by district voting offices, and the act of voting was recorded in the electronic register. White ballot envelopes were opened in counting centres from 17:00 on referendum day, but the ballots themselves were removed and counted from 18:00 onward. On referendum day, 178 polling stations were open, and voters were allowed to choose freely which polling station to attend.[8]
Campagne
For
Government of Hamburg
The Hamburg Senate presented the bid under the slogan “Olympia in Hamburg. Eine Chance für alle” — “Olympics in Hamburg. A chance for all.” The campaign argued that the Games could serve as a catalyst for sport, inclusion, infrastructure, urban development, economic momentum and international visibility.
First Mayor Peter Tschentscher framed the Games as an opportunity for sport, inclusion, social cohesion and Hamburg’s international identity. In his government statement of 6 May 2026, he argued that the Olympic movement had changed since 2015, moving toward greater sustainability, inclusion and use of existing infrastructure. He stated that Hamburg’s concept was based on short distances, existing venues and long-term city projects, including housing in Science City Bahrenfeld, public transport improvements, sports infrastructure and green spaces.[4]
The Senate’s concept emphasized what it called “Games of short distances.” According to Tschentscher, 85 percent of Hamburg’s competition venues would lie within a radius of seven kilometres, and the city would avoid building venues used only for the Games. The Olympic Village was to be integrated into Science City Bahrenfeld, with around 4,000 apartments later becoming housing for Hamburg residents, more than half of them subsidized.[4]
Sports Senator Andy Grote argued that Hamburg could become “the most beautiful arena in the world” and that the Games would support innovation, economic dynamism and sports development. Second Mayor Katharina Fegebank supported the bid as a project of optimism and urban transformation, arguing that Hamburg’s compact geography and sporting enthusiasm made it a strong candidate.[9]
Campaign launch, drone shows and prominent supporters
The official campaign began with a highly visible public event on 26 February 2026, when 900 drones flew over the Elbphilharmonie and Hamburg harbour. The drones rose up to 120 metres, forming Olympic and Paralympic sports images, including fencing, rowing, weightlifting, para-dressage and para-athletics, before displaying the campaign slogan. Individual drone motifs were reported to span around 200 metres.[9]
Further drone displays were reported during the campaign period, including a show connected with the 837th Hamburg Port Anniversary in May 2026. Contemporary reports described the drone light show at the harbour as a visual sign supporting Hamburg’s Olympic bid. Some campaign criticism referred more generally to repeated “drone shows” as part of the pro-Olympic public-relations effort; however, the most clearly documented shows in the sources reviewed here are the February campaign launch and the May Port Anniversary display.[10]
The pro-Olympic campaign involved numerous figures from sport and public life. The launch event was accompanied by Edina Müller, Paralympic champion and German flag bearer at Paris 2024; Horst Hrubesch, HSV legend and Olympic medal-winning football coach; and Laura Ludwig, Olympic beach volleyball champion. The Senate also named Eva Lys, Patrick Esume, Johannes B. Kerner, Alexander Zverev, Christina Rann and Imke Salander as prominent supporters intended to help persuade Hamburg residents to vote Yes.[9]
The campaign was not limited to celebrities. The Senate said it would use up to 50 campaign motifs across posters and city information displays, combined with district-level events and social-media communication. Themes included sustainability, community experience, future investment and Olympic and Paralympic values.[9]
Business support and campaign financing
Hamburg’s business community also supported the bid. The Hamburg Chamber of Commerce described the Olympic and Paralympic Games as a catalyst for mobility, sustainable urban development, infrastructure, business, culture and social cohesion. It stated that 26 chambers and associations had signed a joint declaration in favour of Summer Games in Hamburg.[11]
The Chamber of Commerce page also stated that the HKS Handelskammer Hamburg Service GmbH supported the campaign of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, thanking companies that made this support possible through sponsorship.[11]
The exact final cost of the public campaign depends on how one distinguishes the Senate’s communication budget, external sponsorship, public events and campaign-related advertising. Opposition sources and critical reporting referred to a €2 million Senate communication or advertising budget. A statement by the Left parliamentary group said that, by 15 April 2026, the Senate had already paid almost €500,000 for advertising and that a total of €2 million was available for the communication concept. The same source said that the Chamber of Commerce was administering a fund into which supporters had paid €1.3 million by 5 May 2026, and that the first 900-drone show had cost €86,000. These figures should be presented as campaign-finance figures reported by opponents and linked to parliamentary inquiry / transparency-disclosure references, rather than as a final audited total unless confirmed by official financial accounts.[12]
Separate from campaign spending, the Senate’s financial concept for hosting the Games estimated €4.8 billion in organisational and operating costs, which it said would be covered by event revenues of about €4.9 billion. The city also projected an investment budget of around €1.3 billion for long-term infrastructure and urban development. Critics disputed the assumptions and argued that cost overruns and indirect public costs were likely.[13]
Against
The NOlympia campaign
Opposition to the bid was led in civil society by the NOlympia Hamburg alliance. The group described itself as a broad coalition of people from different walks of life united by the belief that Olympic and Paralympic Games would create more problems than opportunities for Hamburg. It explicitly linked the 2026 campaign to the city’s 2015 rejection of the 2024 bid and argued that the Senate was ignoring an earlier democratic decision.
NOlympia’s central arguments concerned public cost, budget risk, housing pressure, social priorities, traffic, environmental impact and the political opportunity cost of focusing administrative and financial resources on a mega-event. The group argued that money spent on Olympic preparations would be missing from education, mobility, housing and social services. It also challenged the Senate’s optimistic cost and legacy claims, citing the history of Olympic cost overruns and warning that a city-state such as Hamburg would bear unacceptable financial risk.
A major procedural issue was the inclusion of a critical statement in the official referendum booklet. NOlympia had to collect 10,000 valid signatures for its counter-statement to be included. The initiative stated that it submitted 19,423 signatures, well above the threshold. The Left Party’s Hamburg page also referred to the signature effort and described the referendum as a directional choice between a costly mega-event and public priorities such as affordable housing, education, social security, culture, climate protection and functional mobility.[14]
Results
The referendum produced a clear majority against the bid. The provisional official result published by the Hamburg Parliament gave 54.9 percent No and 45.1 percent Yes, with a turnout of 49.6 percent. The Parliament described the result as clear, and Parliament President Carola Veit stated that Hamburg should not apply and that there was “nothing to relitigate” about the outcome.[15]
The outcome resembled, but was more decisive than, Hamburg’s 2015 Olympic referendum. In 2015, Hamburg’s bid for the 2024 Games was defeated by a narrow majority of just over 51 percent.[3] In 2026, the No side won by a wider margin, despite a much more developed official campaign, a stronger emphasis on existing infrastructure and a national context in which several other German candidates had secured or were seeking political support.
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| For | 293,819 | 45.08 | |
| Against | 357,911 | 54.92 | |
| Total | 651,730 | 100.00 | |
| Valid votes | 651,730 | 99.87 | |
| Invalid/blank votes | 873 | 0.13 | |
| Total votes | 652,603 | 100.00 | |
| Registered voters/turnout | 152,473 | 428.01 | |
| Source: Statistics Office | |||
Aftermath
The consequences were immediate. On the evening of the vote, First Mayor Peter Tschentscher announced that the result was binding on the Senate and that he had informed DOSB president Thomas Weikert and Germany’s IOC representative Michael Mronz that Hamburg was withdrawing its bid. Tschentscher expressed regret, thanked supporters, and said the city would continue pursuing its urban development and infrastructure goals without the Olympic framework.
Second Mayor Katharina Fegebank said the result was a “missed chance” but stated that the Senate would respect the decision and support another German city or region if selected by the DOSB. She also argued that the fears of higher costs, rising rents and excessive construction disruption had not been overcome during the campaign, even though the Senate believed those concerns were unfounded.[16]
Sports Senator Andy Grote thanked the many volunteers, athletes and supporters who had campaigned for the bid. He noted that more than 250,000 Hamburg voters had supported the idea, but said the majority decision had to be accepted. Grote added that the Senate wanted to preserve some of the positive energy from the campaign by pursuing parts of the concept, especially projects promoting physical activity among children and young people.[16]
For the DOSB, Hamburg’s withdrawal reduced the national field to Berlin, Munich and Rhine-Ruhr. Reports before and after the referendum stated that the DOSB planned to decide on 26 September 2026 which German candidate would move forward internationally. Hamburg’s rejection also created uncertainty for Kiel as a sailing partner, even though Kiel itself had voted in favour of participation.[17]