Can Champions League final, athletics worlds boost Munich Olympic bid?

Munich will hope that being awarded the 2028 Champions League final and the 2031 world athletics championships will boost the city's bid to host future Olympic Games as well, reported dpa.

The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) will choose a German candidate from the three bidders Munich, Berlin and Cologne/Rhine-Ruhr next week on September 26. The DOSB will also decide on that day whether to bid for the 2036, 2040 or 2044 Games.

Munich's bid to host the Games for a second time, the first being in 1972, has been endorsed in a referendum, and Tuesday's decision by football's UEFA and World Athletics is another sign of trust in the clty.

"Such a big event can also give an important boost to the bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which we as FC Bayern are fully supporting. Bayern Munich CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said on the decision to hold the Champions League final in their home stadium again.

Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder was quoted as saying by the German athletics body DLV after the World Athletics decision: "Bavaria and sports events are a perfect match."

Munich beat off rivals Rome and London to hosts the worlds of a sport which is also arguably the most important at Olympic Games.

"Germany has proved time and again that it is an outstanding and dependable host for major athletics events," World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said.

"We know Munich can deliver major championships, we know Germany has an audience for athletics, and we believe Munich 2031 has all the ingredients to be a spectacular World Athletics Championships."

He named Munich's Olympic Park "one of the iconic venues in world sport" and "a symbol of sustainability."

Coe praised the atmosphere at the 2022 multi-sports European Championships which included athletics as "exceptional."

Bavarian sports minister Joachim Herrmann was quoted by the DLV as naming the awarding "a great success and a strong signal for the sporting area of Bavaria."

Munich mayor Dominik Krause spoke of "a strong confirmation for our standing as a sports city."

Munich has also hosted many other major sports events over the years and also on Tuesday were awarded the prestigious Champions League final for a fifth time.

The first two in 1979 and 1993 were held in the Olympic Stadium and the others in 2012 and 2025 in Bayern Munich's arena. Munich preferred 2028 because it will host women's Euro 2029 matches the following year.

"We will once again show that Munich knows how to do big sporting events," Dreesen said.