A city that was the site of one of the greatest individual swimming and athletic performances in Olympic history is once again aiming to host the Summer Olympics.
On Sunday, voters in the German city of Munich approved a proposal to bid for the Summer Olympics in either 2036, 2040 or 2044.
Of the 1.1 million eligible voters in the city, 42% turned out for the referendum, with 66.4% voting in favor of bidding for the Summer Olympics in the future, according to The Local.
Munich was the site of the 1972 Summer Olympics, where, Mark Spitz had his legendary performance in the pool, winning seven gold medals and setting world records in each of those events. He won gold in the men’s 100 and 200 freestyle, the 100 and 200 butterfly, and was a part of the men’s 4×100 free, 4×200 free and 4×100 medley relays that won gold medals.
That performance stood as the Olympic record for most gold medals in a single Olympics until Michael Phelps broke it by winning eight at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Of course, Munich was also the site of arguably the greatest tragedy in Olympic history, when Palestinian terrorists took 11 Israeli athletes hostage overnight in the Olympic Village. Those 11 athletes and five of the eight terrorists ended up dying in the crisis, which ended at a nearby airport after a nearly 24-hour standoff.
Munich isn’t the only city interested in bringing back the Olympics to Germany. The Berlin, Hamburg and Ruhr regions are also developing bids.
The German Olympic Sports Confederation is expected to select a candidate in 2026 and submit a bid to the International Olympic Committee.
Germany also hosted the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin and the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which were held under the scope of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime.
Munich would be a nice location. Smack in the middle of the EU.