Munich 2018 – IOC EVALUATION COMMISSION IMPRESSED BY GOVERNMENT BACKING FOR MUNICH 2018

IOC Evaluation Commission Chair, Gunilla Lindberg, said:

'We have witnessed the strong government support which the bid enjoys, highlighted by the presence of Chancellor Angela Merkel and other members of the Cabinet during the week. It was a pleasure to meet so many athletes and to see the support from the DOSB, Germany's IOC members, the National Federations and the National Paralympic Committee, who have all been closely involved in the planning.'

Munich is seeking to bring the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to Germany, one of the world's most passionate and successful winter sports nations, for the first time in 80 years.

After lauding the 'excellent and highly professional preparation' of the Munich 2018 Bid Committee, Gunilla Lindberg went on to say:

'We absolutely felt the atmosphere and the passion for the Olympic Games

When question on the issue of land ownership in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Olympic Games Executive Director, Gilbert Felli, said that, having 'studied the issue very closely', and having received assurances from the government of the Free State of Bavaria, the Evaluation Commission was convinced that a solution would be found. Munich 2018 is offering an innovative compact concept with an Ice Park in Munich and a Snow Park one hour away in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Munich 2018 is also offering a showcase in Olympic sustainability which, for the first time in Olympic history, will see venues from an Olympic Games (at the Munich 1972 Olympic Park) transformed to become venues for an Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in the Munich 2018 Ice Park.

In an official press conference immediately following the IOC conference, Munich 2018 Chair, Katarina Witt, said:

'It has been a tough week, but very enjoyable. The Evaluation Commission has seen how much passion goes into winter sports in Germany. Fans are cheering the first athlete and waiting for the last athlete, and that is exactly what you want. We have developed a very compact concept. So we have the minimum distances and the maximum atmosphere. This week we have given an idea of what the atmosphere could be like when we invite the world with open arms to our Festival of Friendship.'

Chair of Munich 2018's Shareholders Board and President of the DOSB, Thomas Bach said:

'We have successfully conveyed our key messages of a bid by athletes for athletes. Germany is a very strong winter sports nation. Some even say that it is the strongest winter sports nation ever. But we have not hosted the Olympic Winter Games for 80 years. That means ten generations of successful winter sports athletes have not had the opportunity to have the Games in this heartland of winter sports. 'After going to new territories – and rightly so, at the right time with Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 – it is a good time for the Olympic Movement and the Winter Games to recharge the batteries. We are really pleased with the last four days.'

Lord Mayor of Munich, Christian Ude, said:

'I would like to thank the strong support of the Federal government and the government of the Free State of Bavaria. All members of the Evaluation Commission were surprised that Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Vice Chancellor, along with two more Federal Ministers came personally to last night's dinner in what was a very, very eventful week in Berlin. This shows the strong personal support from the Chancellor. 'This week, particularly at our sports venues, was a presentation by athletes for athletes, of a bid concept developed by athletes for athletes. I feel the Evaluation Commission understood that sport is at the centre of our bid.'

CEO of Munich 2018, Bernhard Schwank, added:

'As CEO, I am very proud of my team. We have seen such wonderful dedication, from volunteers right up to the top-level politicians, and felt this great team spirit – this Olympic spirit – that we need for a successful bid. 'We are on the right track. The DPA poll adds to the momentum from the FIS World Championships, which had 130,000 spectators, and the FIBT World Championships, with one of the biggest audiences in FIBT history. It has given us great confidence that we can deliver world-class events on the international stage.'

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 Karatina 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, Lotto Bayer n, 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.