MUNICH 2018 IGNITES OLYMPIC SPIRIT AMONG YOUTH – Bid Committee and BMW Group produce pioneering manual to spread Olympic values to young people

Munich: Munich 2018 highlighted its commitment to reawakening the Olympic spirit in the next generation as it today unveiled an innovative Games instruction manual that will spread the Olympic values to young people across Germany.

The pioneering teaching material will share the Olympic values of friendship, respect and excellence, alongside the message of the Festival of Friendship, with school children around the nation. Munich 2018 promises to be a catalyst for a winter sports resurgence for the 38 million young people of Germany and other traditional European winter sports nations. Munich 2018's national sponsor, the BMW Group, and the German Olympic Academy (DOA) are united in this vision. The manual complements Munich 2018's athlete-focused bid, with detailed profiles of Olympians and Paralympians as well as an insight into the life of two-time Olympic gold medallist and Chair of the Munich 2018 Bid Committee, Katarina Witt.

Speaking at today's launch, Katarina Witt said:

‘Munich 2018 hopes that this manual, along with our bid to host the Winter Games in 2018, will ignite the Olympic flame in the hearts of future generations. This publication is a great opportunity to reach out to thousands of young people, some of whom would get the once-in-a-lifetime chance to be spectators or even participants should the Games come to Munich in 2018. It is the young people of today who will benefit most from the great legacy should Munich win the right to host our uniquely sustainable and environmentally friendly Games in 2018.'

With this new initiative, Munich 2018 will educate the next generation about the Bavarian capital's bid to host the 2018 Winter Games and the preparations, procedures and rules required if the Games are awarded. The innovative publication will explain the history of the Games, its athletes and its organisers, as well as setting thought-provoking tasks that touch on important issues such as doping and the environment.

The programme complements the school curriculum in Germany as well as the Olympic values, offering methods for addressing a range of themes including respect, friendship, performance, and fair play. Young people are encouraged to use their new knowledge in tasks that challenge them to learn from the Games in accordance with Munich 2018's promise of sustainability.

Quotes from experts in education:

Dr. Ludwig Spänle, Bavarian State Minister of Education and the Arts and Executive Member of the Ministers Conference, praised Munich 2018's Olympic values-based initiative. He said:

‘The basic principle from Pierre de Coubertin, that a healthy spirit arises from a healthy body, underpins the entire education system in Germany. The pioneering Games manual means that young people across the nation will understand and pass on the universal Olympic values that lie at the core of Munich's bid to host the Winter Games in 2018.'

Dr. Andreas Höfer, Director of the DOA, added:

‘For many years we have been working to create teaching material relating to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. We are delighted that, with Munich 2018, we have the chance to use the bid to demonstrate preparations and issues in bidding for, and hopefully hosting, the Games. The International Olympic Committee prioritises the protection of nature. Therefore, Olympism as a curricular subject provides detailed information and great scope for discussion on conservation and sustainability.'

Ralf Urlinger, Head of the Educational Academy at the BMW Group, sees its national sponsorship of Munich 2018 as an investment for the future. He said:

‘BMW's values are parallel to those of the Olympic Movement, and with this manual we combine the sportiness at the core of our brand, engage with our local community and increase our efforts in social responsibility and sustainability for the next generations. The Olympic Movement stands for values that are essential in the economy: the ability to work in a team, performance, respect and fair play. All of these are important elements for BMW as a brand but also fundamental attributes that we share in our relationship with Munich 2018. I hope that with BMW's many years of experience and competencies in engaging with communities, we can pass these values onto the next generation and educate children at an early stage on how to live a sustainable lifestyle'.

The Munich 2018 manual will teach young people about the International Olympic Committee and The International Paralympic Committee as well as acting as an instruction manual for the Games, including rules, timings and venues for competitions. The guide will also relay historical facts about the development of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements, the Olympic Torch Relay and explanations of the Olympic emblem. The launch of this initiative for young people comes at an important time for Munich 2018 – less than one month before the Bid Committee welcomes the IOC Evaluation Commission to Munich from 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.