The big public support of Munich's Olympic plans is a huge boost for the whole of German sports and their own ambitions, rival candidates said on Monday.
"The clear yes from Munich is a clear signal to sport and politics - we want the Games and we want them for the whole of sport," said Thomas Härtel, president of Berlin' state sports association.
Steffen Rülke, who heads Hamburg's bid, said: "This is a great sign of optimism and confidence. There is a positive attitude towards the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Germany."
Munich statement in four-way race
Munich, Hamburg, Berlin and the Rhine-Ruhr area are aiming to become Germany's bidder for a future edition of the Games in 2036, 2040 or 2044. The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) plans to select the bidder in September 2026.
Munich were the first to hold a referendum, with a majority of 66.4% of those participating on Sunday backing a bid.
Hamburg and Rhine-Ruhr plan referendums for next year, and so does the city of Kiel where the sailing competitions could be held. Berlin plans no referendum but will have active engagement from residents.
The host city is eventually elected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Berlin and Munich are the only German cities to host Olympic Games in the past, in 1936 and 1972, respectively.
Germans want Olympics
The two-thirds majority in Munich was seen as an encouraging sign that Germans want the Games, after Hamburg's bid for 2024 and a Munich bid for the 2022 Games were stopped by referendums.
"Regardless of the DOSB's decision in favour of one of the four Germany's bid is a national bid," Härtel said.
"All concepts envisage that the Games should not just be a brief summer fairy tale [the 2006 football World Cup], but should raise the promotion of sport in Germany to a new level: for better sports infrastructure, for more sports programmes in schools, for more support for all volunteers and coaches, and, of course, for better promotion of competitive sport."
Boost for rivals
Rülke and Berlin's Olympic commissioner Kaweh Niroomand said that the Munich vote will serve as a boost for their own ambitions which they said are not dented by the result in the Bavarian capital.
"We have a good concept, we are the German capital, we are the international metropolis," Niroomand told RBB24 Inforoadio.
"What convinced the people of Munich was the fact that if we host the Olympics, this money and these opportunities will come to our city. So the Olympics are an opportunity for Berlin and not an alternative to solving existing problems."
Race not decided
Munich mayor Dieter Reiter and Bavarian state sports association chief Jörg Ammon suggested after the vote that the DOSB should reconsider its proceedings and select a bidder sooner.
But DOSB chairman Otto Fricke dismissed suggestions the vote was a preliminary decision of sorts and said that the DOSB would stick to its path.
"I see it in a very sporting light. The first of four has qualified," Fricke told Deutschlandfunk radio.
He said the DOSB will then decide "democratically" at its assembly in September 2026 "which of the four is the best candidate - according to all the criteria that are necessary to be convincing at an international level."