Former European champions set to be offered 70,000-seater new stadium as mayor backs ‘$1billion’ new project

FORMER European champions Hamburg could be offered a brand new stadium as part of Germany's Olympic bid.

The city is set to enter the race to become the nominee for Germany for the second time.

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Hamburg residents previously rejected the opportunity to become the select city for Germany to host the games at the ballot box in 2015.

But now they could be persuaded by the promise of a new stadium, which would become home to Hamburg after the Games.

The new $1billion arena could boast a capacity between 60,000 to 70,000.

And it will be built even if Germany's bid to host the summer Olympics fails, according to Germany Interior Senator Andy Grote.

Hamburg mayor Peter Tschentscher has backed the project and handed over the necessary bid documents to the DOSB - Germany's Olympic body.

He said: "The bids of previous decades consisted of a city being rebuilt to accommodate the Olympic Games. And we reversed this principle."

The city shouldn't adapt to the Games, "but rather we adapt the Olympic concept to our city," he added.

The new stadium would be built right next to Hamburg's iconic Volksparkstadion, which has been their home since 1953.

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A refurbishment of the ground was completed in 2000 for the 2006 World Cup - it seats 57,000 fans.

Germany's Olympic body still needs to decide whether to bid for the 2036, 2040 or 2044 Summer Games.

Germany last hosted the Olympics in 1972 in Munich.

Bids from Berlin for 2000 and Leipzig for 2012 failed, while Munich's bid for the 2022 Winter Games was also stopped by a referendum.