The Finals 2026 in Hannover attracted thousands of visitors and drew positive reactions from athletes. Participants see parallels to the Olympic Games. The DOSB decides in September on candidate regions.
Rhythmic gymnastics Olympic champion Darja Varfolomeev won three German titles at the Finals in the ZAG Arena. She praised the atmosphere: „It was an incredible atmosphere. I was thrilled to be here. This is the German Olympics.“
Beach volleyball player Louisa Lippmann compared the atmosphere to Paris 2024 and highlighted the social power of sport. 480,000 people attended the event featuring 24 sports over four days.
DOSB board member Otto Fricke reported that delegations from Berlin, Munich and Rhein-Ruhr gathered impressions. Finals managing director Hagen Boßdorf stated: „Hannover has shown that Germany can do the Olympics.“ The DOSB decides on the official candidate on September 26.
