Olympic and Paralympic Games on the Rhine and Ruhr? Aachen decides!
Should the city of Aachen participate in the bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games? The city council decided unanimously on Wednesday, January 28: This will be decided by the population in a referendum.
How does the referendum work?
Voting will take place exclusively by letter. All eligible voters will receive their voting notifications and documents between March 9 and 29. They can cast their vote until April 19. The results will then be counted on this day, as in the whole of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Anyone who is entitled to vote in local elections can take part in the vote. This means: all EU citizens aged 16 and over who have lived in Aachen for at least three months or who otherwise usually reside here, who do not live outside the electoral area and who are not excluded from the right to vote. This means that around 185,000 people in Aachen are entitled to vote.
For the result to be valid, a minimum turnout must be achieved. As over 100,000 people live in Aachen, a so-called voting quorum of 10 percent applies. This means that if a majority is reached for or against the application, the vote is only valid if the majority also corresponds to at least 10 percent of those eligible to vote in Aachen. If a majority is reached and the voting quorum is met, the result is binding.
The bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games
Under the slogan "Our cities. Our Games.", 17 cities on the Rhine and Ruhr are bidding to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036, 2040 or 2044. Due to the globally unique local infrastructure, Aachen is to host equestrian sport in particular.
Sport moves people, hearts and entire cities. Aachen stands for top sporting performance like almost no other city. Internationally renowned as a stronghold of equestrian sport, the CHIO and the World Equestrian Games show that the imperial city is a stage for world sport. But Aachen also lives sport in the stands - our Tivoli stands for passionate, emotional soccer and a rousing atmosphere far beyond the city and state borders. With first-class sports facilities and decades of experience in hosting major events, Aachen is ideally placed to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
However, people can decide for themselves whether North Rhine-Westphalia's Olympic goals become reality: All local authorities involved in the concept want to hold council referendums, transferring the decision from the city council to the population (Section 26 of the NRW municipal code). The city council has now unanimously cleared the way for such a procedure in Aachen at its meeting on January 28.
Further information
olympiabewerbung.nrw