Berlin election winners The Left: Olympic bid has no chance of success

Elif Eralp, who is poised to become Berlin's next mayor after The Left came top in Sunday's election in the German capital, believes that the city's bid to host the Olympics has virtually no chance of success.

"I think the decision has been settled because we won the election in part on the basis of these statements about the Olympics, and in that sense, those who are bringing this up will also have to consider whether it makes sense to award such a bid. And I think that’s pretty clear," she said on Monday.

Berlin, along with Munich and the Rhine-Ruhr region, is vying to be selected as Germany's Olympics host for the 2036, 2040, or 2044 Summer Games. The decision will be made on Saturday at an extraordinary general meeting of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB).

However, The Left opposes the bid, as does its potential future coalition partner The Greens. The Social Democrats (SPD), a third party in the possible coalition, has, meanwhile, been a driving force behind the plans as part of the current government.

"I've made it very clear that I consider, for example, the €6 million ($6.89 million) that has already been spent on the Olympic bid to be a waste of taxpayer money. And many more millions and billions are supposed to be added to that. And I don’t see any benefit for Berlin," Eralp said.

"That's why we decided against supporting the Olympics. And I still see it that way today. And I don't expect Berlin to be awarded the bid because it's quite clear that we stand for a different policy," Eralp explained.