Democracy spectacle for Olympia

On 19.04. In 2026, 17 municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia and Kiel decided to apply for the Olympic Games. Fewer than one in five voters voted yes, but this caused a yes in the 60s and sometimes 70s percent due to the low level of voter turnout. Only in the NRW Lead-City Cologne It was different. There, almost four out of 10 voters went to vote and left an ambivalent picture with just under 43.% No votes to 57% Votes in favour.

In Kiel The election documents contained only pro-arguments. Just over 18 percent of eligible voters voted yes, but with a turnout of 29% for a vote of good 63% worried.
The settlement of a minor opinion was decided by the parliamentary majority. rejected. Public expenditure was estimated at 10-23 million euros. In 2015, 156 million euros were reported. Implementation costs (approximately 33 million in 2015) were not quantified for Kiel in either Kiel or Hamburg. Public services, including security, have been completely omitted. – At the same time, Hamburg campaigned massively with Outdoor advertising from Hamburg tax funds in Kiel for “A Start-Kiel victory for Olympia” to influence the referendum.

Eckart Maudrich, spokesperson for NOlympia-Hamburg:

“Democracy spectacle a la Olympic application votes are very simple: Household pots fragment, exclude essential event-related expenditures and investments, fake missing federal commitments on the type and amount of funding, exclude counter-opinions if possible, flood the whole thing massively with one-sided advertising and then celebrate the vote as the birth of democratic equal opportunities. What remains are phrases about democratic participation instead of memorable reflections in a difficult time. Olympia is not a role model and the behaviours it promotes before votes, such as indoctrination attempts in schools, are not worth imitating and are untimely.”