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Munich's mayor celebrated victory in a referendum Sunday on whether the city should bid to host the Olympics. Just over 66% of the votes cast were in favor of an Olympic bid, Munich authorities said. Munich residents were asked to vote on whether their city should pursue hosting the Summer Olympics — which it hosted in 1972 — but it was left open whether the bid would be for 2036, 2040 or even 2044. The bid's backers say hosting the Olympics would help develop Munich's housing, public transport and business. Opponents have raised concerns over the costs involved. “This result is far more than a yes to the Olympics. It is a yes to bold, sustainable, and inclusive urban development,” mayor Dieter Reiter said in a statement on X. Munich's Olympic bid would have to compete with rival projects in Berlin, Hamburg and the Rhine-Ruhr region of western Germany. Other potential hosts for the 2036 Olympics include India and Qatar, neither of which has held the Games before. Indonesia had expressed interest but the International Olympic Committee said Wednesday it would break off contact about all future events after the country's government barred Israeli gymnasts from competing at the world championships. Public votes have often derailed Olympic bids before. In 2018, the Swiss town of Sion abandoned its bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics after losing a vote centered on cost concerns, while the city of Graz in Austria dropped a 2026 bid ahead of a planned referendum.
