Olympics 2036 in Germany?
Just trust IOC boss Bach, says sports manager Mronz
Michael Mronz would have liked to bring the Olympic Games to Germany in 2032. That didn’t work. He continues to nurture the dream. And he also thinks games in 2036 are possible. The anniversary of the Nazi Games in 1936 was “no penalty” because IOC President Thomas Bach had a special gift.
Sports manager Michael Mronz believes the 2036 Olympic Games in Germany are fundamentally possible, despite the games 100 years earlier in Berlin being used for propaganda by the Nazi regime. “Thomas Bach, as the internationally highly recognized IOC President, can read the vibrations very well, especially internationally. He sees no problem for 2036 at the international level. You should trust that,” said Mronz: “Looked at this way, I think 2036 is not a penalty .”
But it is important to “hold discussions with the Jewish community at an early stage and involve them in the planning,” said Mronz, who headed the private-sector Rhine and Ruhr Olympic Initiative for 2032. “The 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games could be an opportunity to present a Germany that is cosmopolitan, that is welcoming, that is sustainable,” he said. This doesn’t have to happen ostentatiously, even 100 years after the 1936 games. “Germany doesn’t have to pretend. We just have to be natural and authentic and present ourselves as we are.”
The finals as a test run for the region
Basically, the decision about a possible German application currently lies with the German Olympic Sports Confederation. Applications are possible for games between 2034 and 2040. It is unclear whether the Rhine/Ruhr region will be an applicant. But there is fundamental interest. No city or region can currently boast the desired 100 percent of existing sports facilities, said Mronz. In North Rhine-Westphalia it is 95 percent.
“I am very confident that the DOSB will find a good solution and develop a convincing roadmap,” he said: “It is important that this is seen as promising not only in Germany, but also internationally. The worm has to go to the fish taste, not the angler.”
The multi-sport event Finals, which will be held this weekend in 18 sports, mainly in North Rhine-Westphalia, is not a test run. “Each event has its own identification and is never a test run for something else,” said Mronz: “The finals have their own signature. Like the European Championships, they are a great sports format. The Rhine/Ruhr region naturally offers events of this kind ideal opportunities.”
