A smaller, cheaper, more more Olympic: With this Vision, want to apply for the Austrian city of Innsbruck for the winter games in 2026. However, the makers have to not only convince the IOC.
It is not a full-grown, proud Olympic fire burning at the presentation of the Innsbruck Olympic bid in 2026, in a country house in Innsbruck. Rather a small flame of hope. “The Olympic games in Tirol is feasible, and the Olympia in Tirol is a good idea,” so matter-of-Günther Platter from puts it, of the Governor of Austrian Federal land. Enthusiasm to show more of the authors of the feasibility study, which will present their Vision of a new Olympia, and not on superlative save. Innsbruck could enter with his application for the winter games in 2026, “new territory,” said Stefan Klos from the planning office Project from Frankfurt, which has been taken care of by Hamburg 2024 and Almaty in 2022. “Innsbruck and the Tyrol had the Potential to be a pioneer for modern, sustainable and moderate winter games”, – stated in the feasibility study.
Smaller, sleeker, cheaper, games are supposed to be. Not a single new building, no real Olympic stadium, and competitions throughout the Region and across borders, also in Germany. They wanted to make a self-conscious offering, said Karl Stoss, spiritual father of Innsbruck, 2026, and President of the Austrian Olympic Committee (ÖOC): “The IOC needs us more than we, the IOC.” Governor Platter but remained at his caution. He does not know: It is only to convince the Powerful of the world sports from the Tyrolean way. But also, on the 15. To win in October in a referendum, against the Trend began last Olympic applications in Graubünden, Munich, Hamburg, Krakow and Stockholm to fail.
It goes to the thing, or the gut feeling?
Austrian Olympic Committee President Karl Stoss
Platter the 137-page feasibility study called “a serious basis for the vote at 15. October”. He admits to the DW but also that the public would ultimately make a “gut decision”. From the circle of his coalition partner, the Greens, is even heard, there is a vote on whether the IOC was a “corrupt bunch”. IOC member shock looks in the image problem of the Keeper of the rings is an advantage for Innsbruck: He had heard from Lausanne, the clear desire to lead the games back in the Alpine core region.
In fact, Innsbruck application seems to be a lot of points on the IOC Agenda 2020: If not here, where in 1964 and 1976 were the games – where else? In the Region, many of the facilities are already available and have been proved – as was recently the Biathlon world Cup in Hochfilzen. In order to save the construction of a new rink, to be used for an Arena in the Bavarian town of Inzell. Overall, the competitions are to be distributed over the Region, 69 percent of all medals are not awarded in Innsbruck itself. The Budget of the organizing Committee, should remain with 1.175 billion euros, far below the average.
In addition, no public investments in transport routes are planned and if there was, so shock, so they are also independent of the winter games is necessary. From the Olympic village, in turn, to social housing could arise were missing, the Innsbruck anyway.
A tight race is
Ultimately, it was up to the policy, to spark Olympic excitement, says shock. In 1993 and 1997, was not able, at that time, Referendums have failed to apply.
Innsbruck’s Olympic planners want to expand the games to the entire Region
The latter, because although the country’s population was for Olympia, the citizens of the city of Innsbruck. A survey of the “Tyrolean newspaper” from the turn of the year, makes this time a close race, expect: 41 percent were in favour of the application, 29 percent clearly opposed, 32 percent were still undecided.
A bobsled team, has the question of the application already divided: 1972 in Sapporo, Fritz Dinkhauser, and Werner delle Karth started together in the two-man bobsled. Today, Dinkhauser, meanwhile, politicians are touting, vehemently against Innsbruck in 2026, among other things, in radio spots. “The money would be better off in the villages, in the kindergartens, in hospitals,” says the 77-Year-old. The campaign stumbles upon his old companions delle Karth, the language in 1976, the Olympic oath, sour: “the worst thing would be, if we would not apply,” he says. “What would be Innsbruck without the Olympics? Nothing.”