Olympia to Hamburg? What we need to talk about

1 November 2025

The Senate is dreaming of the Olympic Games in Hamburg. Glory, sport, the world – that sounds tempting. But Olympia is not a festival without consequences. It's about billions, power and risk.

Five Questions We Should Ask Ourselves

What does it really cost?

The Senate has a reasonable budget. But the experience shows a different picture: Paris 2024: €11 billion¹, Tokyo 2020: 12 billion €², Rio de Janeiro 2016: €11.9 billion³ – far more than originally planned. Since everything has to be ready on a fixed date, experience shows that construction costs are rising rapidly. The same sums could solve many pressing problems in Hamburg – from housing, to education, to transport infrastructure.

Construction sites and traffic chaos: What does Olympia really do?

Hamburg is already groaning under construction sites and traffic chaos. The additional construction projects for Olympia would further aggravate the situation: Large construction sites in large parts of the city, closed roads and years of impairments. When Olympia comes, there will be "Olympic Lanes" – dedicated lanes for athletesinside and functionaryinside. Buses and trains would be overcrowded. In Paris, the French transport minister recommended residents leave the city during the games. Is this the future we want for Hamburg?

The IOC: Who's behind it?

The Olympic idea of fairness and international understanding is great – but the IOC has long since made it a business. It exists as a guardian of Olympic values, but is a non-transparent association under Swiss law, whose members choose themselves. Democratic control? Misrepresentation.
Host city contracts remain secret and will only be published after the award has been made. The IOC secures special rights, tax exemptions and profits, while host cities bear the risks. Corruption and financial scandals have accompanied the organization for decades.

Olympics: Is everything getting more expensive?

Rents in Hamburg are skyrocketing – and the Senate is not getting a handle on this. Olympia would exacerbate the trend. Other cities clearly show this: In Los Angeles, 2028 tenants were displaced around venues years before the Games.⁴ Experience has shown that gastronomy and retail also record strong price increases. The social imbalance is increasing.

Olympia and Hamburg Construction Management: A dare?

The Senate stressed that Hamburg could hold the Olympics. But big projects show something else: Elbtower, City toilets⁵, Köhlbrand Bridge⁶, Central station⁷, House of the Earth⁸ – the costs always ran out of control, despite promises to the contrary. The most recent example: The "Short Olaf" should be created without tax money, now costs around 600 million euros.⁹ Why should the Olympics be any different?

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