Berlin to review hosting Tour de France start after ending Olympic bid

Berlin's prospective new city government will review plans to host the start of the 2029 Tour de France having already forced the German capital to withdraw its Olympic bid.

The Left party won the city state's election earlier this month and plans talks with the Greens and Social Democrats (SPD) on forming an administration. Berlin quit the race to be Germany's Olympic bidder last week after the far-left party made clear it was against the proposal because of cost worries.

Now the Left is examining the financial conditions for hosting the beginning of the world's biggest cycling race in three years, but has not rejected the idea outright.

"Given Berlin's generally difficult budget situation, we are fundamentally cautious about costly major sporting events. If the issue is raised in the context of government negotiations it will have to be carefully examined whether there is actually room for this in the state budget in 2029," the Left's sports policy spokeswoman Claudia Engelmann told dpa on Tuesday.

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme is keen on the idea of a "Grand Départ" in the eastern German states of Berlin, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia - 40 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

A decision on the Tour's 2029 start is expected by early 2027. 

Engelmann added, "From our point of view the key question must always be whether these substantial funds are not more urgently needed to renovate our dilapidated sports facilities and strengthen everyday grassroots sport in Berlin's districts."