Like the US City of Boston, the German Hansestadt (Hanseatic City) Hamburg has pulled their bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. A referendum on the matter was held over the weekend in Hamburg and Kiel (where sailing competitions were planned, as in 1972 during the Munich Olympics). Although most polls indicated a different result, the majority (51.6 per cent) voted against the 2024 bid. Much to the surprise of Mayor Olaf Scholz and the people at Town Hall, who had come together to celebrate the expected positive outcome of the referendum. Another celebration with many sports celebrities was planned at an arena, that celebration has been cancelled as well.

German talk shows and newspapers blame the German FA, FIFA and UEFA corruption scandals for the “No” vote, but also the current refugee crisis and the terrorist attacks in Paris, as well as unclear financing issues. Hungarian capital Budapest, Paris, Los Angeles and Rome are the remaining candidate cities. The IOC (International Olympic Committee) will announce their decision in September 2017.

In 2013, the people in Munich voted against the City’s bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics.