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Hamburg 2024


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Vancouver -one of the most progressive and socially conscious cities in the world- had a result of 64% percent "yes" in its referendum.

Things have changed because of Sochi's massive cost, scandals involving bribery and corruption in sporting federations, doping scandals, etc. That is hardly the fault of cities like Oslo, Hamburg, etc.

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Very well said, Nacre. Things have changed a lot indeed within the last 10 or 15 years. I remember very well how in 2003, when Vancouver won the 2010 Games, Olympic Games still could create some "prestige thinking" and anticipation also within the populations of the respective bid cities and regions, also in Germany. Back then, five German cities (Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Stuttgart and - poignantly - Hamburg) bid in a national pre-selection for hosting the 2012 Summer Games. And even if some of those bids were actually overblown and ridiculous ideas, the high participation in that race already showed that Olympic Games still had a very different standing back then. The world had just experienced the brilliant Sydney 2000 Games and the Salt Lake 2002 Games, which were a full success as well, despite the scandal surrounding its host city election and despite the 9/11 attacks. The Olympic Games shone brightly, in the eyes of many people they were still rather a promise and an ideal instead of a threat and a burden.

Since then, the sports and also the political world have done a lot to destroy that ideal. Apart from the scandals you mentioned, we now live in a world that anxiously awaits the Euro 2016 tournament in France and doesn't know whether that tournament could be harmed by either terrorist attacks or at least by the probably VERY heavy security measures against exactly those terrorist attacks. I think one should not underestimate the effect that the Paris terrorist attacks only two weeks before Hamburg's referendum might have had on the voters as well. And I must say: I have difficulties to blame them. Hamburg's financing issues, the many doping scandals, the many corruption scandals, Sochi's super-expensive winter Potemkin village, the Winter Games becoming a "authoritarian and undemocratic regimes only" event (at least for the time being) - and then terrorist attacks and threats also against important sports events (the German national team's friendlies against France and the Netherlands in Paris and Hanover two weeks ago) were probably only the the last straw for the growing number of people who have a bad feeling thinking about hosting such huge sports events.

Now Germany might experience a very bleak 2024 sports summer. There are still reports that Germany wants to go ahead with its Euro 2024 bid, but in the current climate with the scandal within the German FA, the terror threat in France, the blow against Hamburg's Olympic bid etc., the German FA would be very well-advised to retract also their Euro bid. Even if that bid won't be decided upon in a referendum, they shouldn't expect major support for that bid from the German population in these troubled times. And as StefanMUC has pointed out, this could set a troubling example also for many, many other democratic countries - not even only Austria, Switzerland and the Nordic countries. I wouldn't even count on Paris, Rome and Los Angeles now - they could face growing opposition within their own societies as well. Even Budapest with its increasingly irrational and authoritarian national government can't be too sure (but their bid is dead in the water anyway). Of course this shouldn't mean that those bids will be cancelled, too. But surely no one can rejoice tonight. Hamburg has made a decision yesterday that raises an even bigger question mark for the whole Olympic ideal and the sports world.

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Sigh! I really thought this would go the distance. Maybe not win, but present a good competitive bid that could be built on in future.

Oh well, we'll always have Paris... Won't we?

I am very annoyed by those stupid people who voted no - I am shocked...

I hear you Martin. I get annoyed too at a lot of the misinformed, hysterical whining and witch hunting the Games and the IOC seem to inspire these days. Including in here.
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lol oh, you, thinking that Olympic Committees are the voice of reason with or without changes in who's in charge. Remember, this was an OC that thought 4 years was enough time passed by to attempt another Munich-Garmisch bid. And our OC thought the residents of Boston would want the bid when in fact they didn't. OCs are known to be so far detached from the common man that they don't consider what the public wants. So regardless of who's in charge of the OC at that time, or even what Berliners want, I expect the German OC to show some interest in some capacity. If it fails, which more than likely it will, then it fails. But it's not for lack of trying though.

As long as the German NOC is run by sports bureaucrats, rather than actual sportsmen with recent experience in the field, there is very little hope indeed. Michael Vesper (whose only "distinction" was having been the unremarkable minister of transport in Germany's most populous state, North-Rhine Westphalia) has overseen three failed Olympic bids and a decrease in German medals at the Olympics overall. He should resign, if he has a shred of decency left.

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That's a cheap party-political attack, plusbrillantsexploits. The DOSB boss is still Alfons Hörmann, and even in his case, I wouldn't call for personal consequences. If any, many people (including the local officials in Hamburg) are to blame for this defeat. But must of all, the general circumstances are to blame, as I pointed out above. In this hostile climate against the hosting of major sports events, even people of the likes of Peter Ueberroth wouldn't have won the referendum.

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I am not feeling well, today:

- the stupid people, who voted no yesterday (totally pissed off)

- learnt that the mum of a good friend of mine died tonight

- learnt that a good friend of mine is dying, due the bone marrow donation didn't work (he is since march in hospital and had to go through a chemotherapy - then he learnt that the chemo failed - 4 bone marrow donors were found - then the bone marrow donation - and now I learnt that he is dying...)

Totally devastated now - the only positive was the announcement of the Melodifestivalen participants two hours ago - something good to focus on...

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Lol, I think not just Germany but all of northern Europe won't see either Olympics or a massive sport event in a long time. Even back in the day the opossition to holding the games was very notorious (with even a bomb threat by an activist group or something back then when Stockholm bid for 2004), I don't want to imagine how it must be right now thanks to Sochi's waste of money + the whole world of sport in general losing its reputation and trust from people in general thanks to all these scandals.

Too bad, I hoped Hamburg would be the black horse of this race but after this now i'm sure this bid is pretty much Paris vs Rome.

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I am not feeling well, today:

- the stupid people, who voted no yesterday (totally pissed off)

- learnt that the mum of a good friend of mine died tonight

- learnt that a good friend of mine is dying, due the bone marrow donation didn't work (he is since march in hospital and had to go through a chemotherapy - then he learnt that the chemo failed - 4 bone marrow donors were found - then the bone marrow donation - and now I learnt that he is dying...)

Totally devastated now - the only positive was the announcement of the Melodifestivalen participants two hours ago - something good to focus on...

Actually if Hamburg says yes they will pissed off...

As the world say this to Hamburg... "Smart move, Hamburg citizens. The games are an overrated boondoggle."

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I am not feeling well, today:

- the stupid people, who voted no yesterday (totally pissed off)

- learnt that the mum of a good friend of mine died tonight

- learnt that a good friend of mine is dying, due the bone marrow donation didn't work (he is since march in hospital and had to go through a chemotherapy - then he learnt that the chemo failed - 4 bone marrow donors were found - then the bone marrow donation - and now I learnt that he is dying...)

Totally devastated now - the only positive was the announcement of the Melodifestivalen participants two hours ago - something good to focus on...

Sorry to hear your run of sad news Martin.

I think Hamburg will be a fantastic choice in future if people want it. Maybe Hamburg could bid for a European games in the meantime or a universiade? I think what's happened to your friend kind of puts it all in perspective though.

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Very surprised by this? Thought Hamburg consistently had high support? 60-55%? Well I guess not, was really hopping for a strong German bid and especially one from Hamburg. I suppose the refugee crisis hurt it in the end.

Damn Ottoman Imperial Collapse! Damn you British Empire!

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I am not feeling well, today:

- the stupid people, who voted no yesterday (totally pissed off)

- learnt that the mum of a good friend of mine died tonight

- learnt that a good friend of mine is dying, due the bone marrow donation didn't work (he is since march in hospital and had to go through a chemotherapy - then he learnt that the chemo failed - 4 bone marrow donors were found - then the bone marrow donation - and now I learnt that he is dying...)

Totally devastated now - the only positive was the announcement of the Melodifestivalen participants two hours ago - something good to focus on...

Sorry to read about all this, Martin. But as Ripley already said: Maybe those more existential things put a thing like the defeat in the Olympic referendum into perspective again. In the end, there are more important and significant things in life than the hosting of Olympic Games. Of course it would have been a great experience and a very important push for Hamburg, sports in Germany and Germany as a country altogether. But in the end, life will go on in Hamburg and in Germany. And in a way, sadly, one even gets used to those defeats if they take place repeatedly (the IOC vote in Durban in 2011, the referendum in Munich and Bavaria in 2013 and now the Hamburg referendum) - but nevertheless, I hope of course that DOSB will spare us any further defeats in the near future... They should take a hiatus from Olympic bidding.

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