Germany Sports Minister Says Paris Has Whetted Appetite For 2040 Bid

PARIS, July 27 (Bernama-dpa) - The spectacular opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics has further convinced German Sports Minister Nancy Faeser that her nation should bid for the Summer Games in 2040, the German news agency (dpa) reported.

The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) is mulling a bid in 2036 or 2040, with Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Leipzig and the Rhine-Ruhr region all interested, possibly in a joint bid with another city. 

The DOSB likes the idea of Germany hosting 100 years after the Berlin Olympics of 1936, which was held under the Nazi regime, but Faeser again hinted that 2040 is more realistic after the German Cabinet gave the go-ahead for a bid.  

"We were very excited about the opening ceremony. Despite the bad weather, what France put together was phenomenal," Faeser, also interior minister, told reporters after visiting the Olympic Village on Saturday.           

"What I really liked was that the French organised great celebrations in many places across Paris, so lots of the population were able to participate." 

She added that Germany would try to match the standard of Paris "if we were awarded the Games for 2040."

The opening ceremony was uniquely held along the River Seine, with the Eiffel Tower and Louvre among the other famous sights included, while the Olympic flame is being suspended from a hot air balloon in the centre of the city rather than in a cauldron at a stadium.  

"It is important to take the population with you on this journey and show where the advantages are and what it can bring to a country." said Faeser, aware that previous Games bids from Munich and Hamburg collapsed after local people voted against them. 

Germany last hosted the Games in Munich in 1972.

-- BERNAMA-dpa