Thousands gather in Hamburg to form giant Olympic rings formation

THOUSANDS of people have gathered in a Hamburg park to form giant Olympic rings, weeks before the city’s residents vote on whether its bid for the 2024 Games should go ahead.

An aerial view shows thousands of people wearing colorful ponchos to form the Olympic rings to support Hamburg's bid for the Olympics 2024, in a park in Hamburg, Germany, Sunday Nov. 8, 2015. At left, protesters against Hamburg's Olympic bid laid the word "NO" next to the giant Olympic logo, but backers formed the letter W to turn the word into “NOW.” (Daniel Bockwoldt/dpa via AP)

THOUSANDS of people have gathered in a Hamburg park to form giant Olympic rings, weeks before the city’s residents vote on whether its bid for the 2024 Games should go ahead.

People who turned up to the northern port city’s Stadtpark on Sunday without clothes in the right colour were given ponchos in blue, black, red, yellow or green, news agency dpa reported.

Opponents of the Games laid the word “NO” next to the giant Olympic logo, but backers formed the letter W to turn the word into “NOW.”

Hamburg was chosen ahead of Berlin by Germany’s national Olympic committee as its candidate city. The bid needs approval in a Nov. 29 city referendum.

Paris, Rome, Los Angeles and Budapest also are bidding for the 2024 Games.

An aerial view thousands of people wearing colourful ponchos have formed the Olympic rings to support Hamburg's bid for the Olympics 2024, in a park in Hamburg.

Originally published as Thousands gather in Hamburg to form giant Olympic rings formation