Berlin's bid team for the 2024 Olympics have come up with a novel way of saving money and allowing visiting IOC officials to truly experience the city - couch surfing.
"We will propose it in our bid papers - couch surfing for officials," Berlin state culture secretary Tim Renner told rbb radio on Wednesday.
"Why should they stay in hotels?"
Some 5000 officials generally attend an Olympic Games, but Renner appears to be serious about letting some of them stay in people's apartments for free.
"Then they finally experience something new - an exciting Berlin," Renner said, though he admitted the International Olympic Committee might not be too keen on the idea, despite moves to make the Games more affordable in future.
The German Olympic Committee will decide next month whether to back Berlin or Hamburg's bid for the 2024 Summer Games.
Renner said Berlin has a clear advantage over Hamburg, namely that the German capital already has an Olympic Stadium built.
Hamburg thinks differently and held an Olympic summit on Wednesday with 40 personalities across sport, politics and business meeting to discuss the bid.
"We want to send the signal that Hamburg trusts itself to hold the Olympic and Paralympic Games," Hamburg sports senator Michael Neumann said, adding that spending control was key after the debacle over delays and the spiralling cost of the city's new concert venue.
"We don't want to bring a second Elbe Philharmonic Hall to Hamburg."
The IOC will pick the host city in 2017 with Boston and Rome having already announced their candidature and Paris among those mulling a bid.
Share
