MUNICH 2018 – TOP-LEVEL MUNICH 2018 TEAM ARRIVES AT SPORTACCORD – High-profile bid delegation to meet sport\’s biggest names at international convention

London, 4 April 2011: The leaders of Munich's bid to host the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have arrived in London for the international SportAccord Convention, ready to drive home a compelling message to world sport's most influential figures: that Bavaria's passionate fans, its rich event hosting heritage and a corporate community with a proven commitment to winter sports would create the perfect conditions for raising the Winter Games to a new plateau of worldwide celebration.

The delegation will be headed by Chair of the Munich 2018 Bid Committee and two-time Olympic champion, Katarina Witt, and President of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) and Olympic champion, Thomas Bach. Also in London are: Germany's Federal Minister of the Interior, Hans-Peter Friedrich; Lord Mayor of Munich, Christian Ude; CEO of the Munich 2018 Bid Committee, Bernhard Schwank; BMW Group's Head of Sales and Marketing, Ian Robertson; and IOC member and Olympian Claudia Bokel.

With such a high-profile team on the ground in the next Olympic host city, Munich 2018's message is clear: the top echelons of sports, government and business are united in their desire to bring the Winter Games back to Germany for the first time in 80 years. Katarina Witt expressed the sense of excitement and anticipation in the Munich 2018 camp:

‘We are really thrilled to be taking part in this prestigious event. With so many of the sports world's decision makers here, it is a wonderful opportunity for Munich 2018 to bring our global Festival of Friendship concept into the spotlight. To make sure we communicate our vision effectively, we've brought the strongest possible team to this amazing city. From Olympians and IOC members, to prominent politicians, to progressive busi ness leaders, this talented and passionate group proves that Munich 2018's bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games is a national priority.'

In their last presentation to the Olympic family, at the ONOC General Assembly in New Caledonia, Munich 2018 focused on the long-term benefits a Winter Games would offer the winter sports movement and the entire Olympic Movement – from reinvigorating the celebration of the Winter Games, to spreading Bavaria's rich winter sports heritage all over the world. Thomas Bach commented on the Munich 2018 delegation's top priorities over the next week:

‘We want to reinforce what Munich and Germany can do for the Olympic Movement. Germany raised the FIFA World Cup and the world of football to a new level in 2006, and we propose to do exactly the same for the IOC. Munich 2018 will combine the finest possible athlete experience with the ideal environment for the Olympic family and its stakeholders. By using our wealth of experience in staging world-class events, Munich 2018 will help to ensure the long-term health and sustainability of the entire Olympic Movement.'

The Munich 2018 delegation will participate in a number of networking and panel events before making a presentation to the convention on Thursday morning. But Bernhard Schwank emphasised that SportAccord was more than an opportunity to promote the concept:

‘Our team is very keen to learn from the world-renowned experts that will be gathered in London. Germany, and Bavaria in particular, have unparalleled experience in staging sports mega-events. This year alone, we've hosted 12 World Cups and 3 World Championships in sports on the Winter Games programme. Those events have been watched live by over a million spectators and by a television audience of more than one billion. Nevertheless, we are always looking to pick up more best practice and ways to enhance and, hopefully, realise our Festival of Friendship in 2018.'

Coming off the back of hugely successful presentations to the AIPS Congress in Seoul and the ONOC General Assembly in New Caledonia, Munich 2018 is confident that the next week's activities will add further to the momentum building behind the bid campaign. This will be crucial in the build-up to the all-important technical presentations to the IOC in May.

Background
Munich, in collaboration with Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Berchtesgadener Land, is applying to host the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The application will be put together and managed by Bewerbungsgesellschaft München 2018 GmbH, with Katarina Witt as Chair, Bernhard Schwank as CEO and Jürgen Bühl as Managing Director. Shareholders in the application organisation are the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) with 51 per cent, the City of Munich (30 per cent), the Free State of Bavaria (nine per cent), the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (eight per cent) and the district of Berchtesgadener Land (two per cent). The bid is being supported by national sponsors Adidas, Allianz, the BMW Group, BayWa, Deutsche Bahn, Deutsche Post, Flughafen München GmbH, Lo tto Bayern, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, METRO GROUP, and the Sparkasse Finance Group, along with national suppliers ARGE (Albert Speer & Partner and PROPROJEKT), Deloitte, Getty Images, GfK Verein, IMMO 2018, Messe München GmbH, Norton Rose LLP, Munich Olympic Park, pilot sport and Stadtwerke München GmbH. More information about the concept, the progress of the application and many other aspects can be found at www.muenchen2018.org.