MUNICH 2018 – GLOBAL SHOWCASE BEGINS FOR MUNICH 2018 – Munich 2018 venues and Bavarian passion for winter sports highlighted at FIS Alpine World Ski Championships

Garmisch-Partenkirchen: Munich and Bavaria's Olympic hosting credentials have passed a major test as the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships began today in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the proposed location for the Munich 2018 Snow Park, following a spectacular opening ceremony last night.

The opening ceremony, attended by Chancellor Angela Merkel, showcased the potential of Munich 2018's Festival of Friendship concept with live music (including opera, rock and traditional Bavarian folk music), 1,300 volunteers and a passionate crowd filling the Olympic Ski Stadium. The event was broadcast live on German television to the delight of over three million winter sports fans tuned in across the nation. The competition began today with the women's super-G competition in which Munich 2018 sports ambassador, Maria Riesch, won the bronze medal.

Thomas Bach, President of the German Olympic Sports Confederation, Chair of the Munich 2018 Shareholders Assembly and IOC Vice-President, said

‘It was a fantastic opening ceremony with our laptops and lederhosen on snow – a beautiful combination of our folk traditions and high-tech culture. Short, crisp, great! With the FIS World Championships we can again show that we are a cosmopolitan country, we can organise well and that we have a huge population of winter sports enthusiasts!

The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships attracts over 500 athletes from 69 nations to the region that is bidding to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2018, adding to Munich's already impressive winter sports hosting credentials.

Bernhard Schwank, CEO of the Munich 2018 Bid Committee, said:

‘It was fantastic to see what is being done in Garmisch-Partenkirchen to celebrate the global event – an incredible show of the Bavarian passion for winter sports with a sense of warmth and hospitality from the crowd. The athletes are experiencing a hint of Munich 2018's Festival of Friendship atmosphere and everything we have promised to the world should the Games come to Munich in 2018.'

The opening ceremony was attended by Germany's most influential political figures, including Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, Thomas de Maizière, Federal Minister of the Interior, and Christian Wulff, President of Germany. They took the opportunity to remind the world of the unequivocal support for Munich 2018 from all levels of government.

Thomas de Maizière said:

‘The atmosphere is heavenly. It is a dream start for the World Championship and a great stepping stone for Munich's bid to host the Winter Games.'

Christian Wulff said:

‘Germany enjoys a high reputation in the world, some of which is attributable to our unmatched sporting record, both in competitions and in event hosting. Since the FIFA World Cup in 2006, Germany has a multicultural, friendly and hospitable image. As hosts of the 2018 Winter Games, Germany would have an opportunity to strengthen this reputation further.'

Garmisch-Partenkirchen has welcomed fans from across the globe to experience world-class competition in a safe and secure festival environment. Hosting one of the top events in the winter sports calendar provides a timely reminder of Bavaria's capacity to run global sports events, as Munich 2018 prepares to welcome the IOC Evaluation Commission to Munich in just three weeks' time (1 to 4 March).

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, whose management is chaired by Bernhard Schwank and whose managing director is Jürgen Bühl. 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 the Adidas, Allianz, BMW Group, BayWa, Flughafen München GmbH, Deutsche Bahn, Deutsche Post, Lotto Bay ern, Deutsche Lufthansa AG 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.