Overview
- Berlin officially announced its withdrawal at a press conference on Thursday after senior city leaders concluded the campaign could not guarantee the backing national sports federations wanted.
- The DOSB evaluation rated Berlin 74.6 out of 100, well below Munich's 87 and Köln/Rhein‑Ruhr's 85, a gap Berlin officials said made a national nomination unlikely.
- City officials said they will still send a delegation to the DOSB meeting in Baden‑Baden and will support a German bid even though Berlin will not stand as the candidate.
- Berlin had budgeted up to €6 million for the bid and said roughly €1 million already spent in the sports administration will be returned to public coffers.
- The withdrawal narrows the national contest to Munich and Köln/Rhein‑Ruhr and revives questions about referendums, local legitimacy, and the political risks of hosting the Games for major German cities.