Hamburg is withdrawing its bid to host Olympic Games in the future after the plans were rejected in a referendum on Sunday with a large majority, leaving only three candidates from the country.
The vote is binding and mayor Peter Tschentscher said that the governing senate has acted accordingly.
"I have just informed the president of the [German Olympic Sports Confederation] DOSB, Thomas Weikert, and Germany's representative at the [International Olympic Committee] IOC, Michael Mronz, that Hamburg is withdrawing its Olympic bid," Tschentscher said.
The vote ended with 54.9% opposing the Games and only 45.1% in favour. A majority said no to Games in 2036, 2040 or 2044 in all seven districts.
"I regret the decision a lot but it is still right for the residents to decide on such an important matters," Tschentscher said.
Around 1.3 million people from the age of 16 were eligible to vote, with turnout at 49.5%.
The turnout was lower than the 50.2% who participated in a 2015 referendum on a bid for the 2024 Olympics which had a closer outcome, with 51.6% against Games and 48.4% in favour.
Hamburg was competing with Munich, Berlin and a Cologne-led Rhine-Ruhr region bid to become the German candidate.
The decision on who will bid and for which year will be made by the DOSB on September 26.
Munich's bid was backed by a 66.4% majority in a referendum and Cologne/Rhine-Ruhr by 66%. In Berlin, the local parliament approved the bid, with a referendum not possible there for constitutional reasons.
DOSB chairman Otto Fricke had hoped for a positive result from Hamburg but that did not happen. He told broadcasters NDR the outcome was "a bit frustrating for us" after positive results from the other bidders.
Tschentscher had named Olympics a big opportunity for the northern German port city, citing economic reasons and new Olympic guidelines under which the Games have to adapt to a host city and not vice versa as in the past.
Supporters highlight the use of existing venues, an expected profit and an important boost for the city's infrastructure. Critics cited out uncertainties about, that the money should be spent for more pressing projects, and environmental concerns.
Eckart Maudrich, spokesman of the NOlympia movement, said the outcome should be "a lesson" for Hamburg.
“This result shows that the people of Hamburg love their city and won’t be taken in by a million-euro advertising campaign,” he said.
Germany hosted summer Olympics 1936 in Berlin and 1972 in Munich.
