MUNICH 2018 HEADS EAST ON JOURNEY OF FRIENDSHIP -Bid Committee delegation departs for Asian Games in Guangzhou

Munich: A top-level Munich 2018 delegation left Munich today bound for the Chinese city of Guangzhou for a presentation to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) General Assembly on 13 November, prior to undertaking a fact-finding mission during the Asian Games.

The Asian Games, which run from 12-27 November, will provide another high-profile platform from which Munich 2018, led by charismatic Chair, Katarina Witt, will continue spreading its vision of a ‘Festival of Friendship' to the Olympic Movement. Witt will be joined in China by Minister of State and Head of the Bavarian State Chancellery, Siegfried Schneider, and CEO of the Munich 2018 Bid Committee, Bernhard Schwank. President of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), Thomas Bach, will also be in Guangzhou, along with fellow IOC member and Olympian, Claudia Bokel.

The Bid Committee is determined to capitalise on the momentum from the team's first outstanding international presentation to the Olympic family at the Association of National Olympic Committees General Assembly in Acapulco last month. Katarina Witt was enthusiastic about the opportunity to engage with another new audience in another new market:

‘This is an exciting time for Munich's bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2018 – our international campaign is gathering real energy now. Guangzhou 2010 is bringing people together from across the Olympic Movement and the next few days will be a wonderful chance to make sure our message resonates with each and every one of them. From NOCs, to athletes, to IFs, to media, Munich's ‘Festival of Friendship' promises a magical experience for everybody in 2018. We just have to make sure we communicate this.'

The Asian Games will also provide Munich 2018 with a valuable insight into the challenges and priorities of hosting an international multi-sport event. With 476 events in 42 sports taking place over two weeks of competition, Guangzhou 2010 will be the biggest in the Asiad's history.

Bernhard Schwank emphasised that the Bid Committee sees Guangzhou 2010 as a crucial learning opportunity:

‘The Asian Games are indeed an excellent chance to engage with some of our key audiences. But just as importantly, the Bid Committee and I are extremely eager to learn best practice in mega-event preparation and staging. I believe we already have a very powerful bid concept, but we are constantly seeking to enhance it even further. We are determined to help the IOC take the Winter Games to unprecedented heights in 2018, with an unparalleled athlete experience stimulating a global celebration of sport. To do that, we must take every chance we get to learn and grow.'

The Munich 2018 Bid Committee will present to the Olympic family at the Asian Games on 13 November. Next stop on the tour will be the European Olympic Committee General Assembly in Belgrade on 26 November.

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, Lotto Bayern, Deutsche Lufthansa AG and the Sparkasse Finance Group, along with national suppliers ARGE, Deloitte, 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.