Overview
- Voters in Hamburg rejected the city’s plan to pursue the Olympic and Paralympic Games by about 54.9% to 45.1%, with 652,193 ballots cast and turnout at roughly 49.5% on Sunday, May 31, 2026.
- Mayor Peter Tschentscher said he informed the Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund and Germany’s IOC representative that Hamburg will withdraw its application after the referendum result became clear.
- Around 40% of eligible voters cast ballots by mail, and the city’s vote removes Hamburg from the national selection that the DOSB will resolve at a membership meeting on 26 September.
- Supporters — including parts of the city government, business groups and sports bodies — argued the Games would unlock federal funding and infrastructure upgrades, while opponents warned of cost overruns, higher rents and environmental harm.
- With Hamburg out, the DOSB will weigh Munich, the Rhein‑Ruhr region (centered on Cologne) and Berlin for a German bid; Hamburg’s rejection repeats a similar citizen defeat from 2015 and deepens political fallout for the rot‑green Senate.