Berlin senate unanimously endorses plans for potential Olympic bid

The Berlin senate has unanimously endorsed the plans for a potential Olympic bid.

The Berlin+ concept, presented by Mayor Kai Wegner and Senator for the Interior Iris Spranger to support a bid to host the Summer Games in 2036, 2040, or 2044, assumes that 97% of all sports venues required for the competitions are already built.

Spranger estimated the cost of organizing the Games at €4.82 billion $5.64 billion). In contrast, revenue of €5.24 billion is expected, meaning that a profit of around €420 million would be generated "for Berlin's schools and grassroots sports," Spranger said in a news conference.

"We are convinced that hosting the Games in Berlin would be a win far beyond the realm of sports," Wegner said.

"The Olympic and Paralympic Games can provide a major boost to our city and showcase Germany as a modern and reliable host," he added.

The city also plans to build an Olympic route, which will run from the Olympic stadium in the west to the Tempelhofer Feld, a former airport turned into park in the south, which is to host the opening ceremony.

"The Olympic route will serve as a visible symbol of the connection between sports, culture, and urban society," said Moritz van Dülmen, managing director for culture projects in the city.

Berlin is one of four candidates in the domestic preliminary selection process to choose Germany's Olympic host. Its competitors are Munich, Hamburg, and the Rhine-Ruhr region, centred on Cologne.

On September 26, the German Olympic body DOSB will decide which candidate to propose to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Unlike the other three candidates, Berlin won't host a referendum on the Olympic plans.