Rogge expects agreement in Munich bid land dispute

Jan 5, 2011, 11:59 GMT

Munich - Munich's bid for the 2018 Winter Games is not endangered by a dispute with land owners, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said in an interview published on Wednesday.

Rogge told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung paper he expects a solution to be reached between the bid committee and a group of 59 farmers and land owners from Garmisch-Partenkirchen who have told the IOC in a letter they won't make their land available for the Games.

'I believe that a solution will be found. Public resistance surrounds many bids but this is mostly solved by agreements after long debates,' Rogge said.

'Germany is a strong democracy, you have to respect individual rights,' he said.

Munich, which plans to stage the majority of snow events in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, is bidding against Pyeongchang of South Korea and the French resort of Annecy.

The host city is elected by the IOC on July 6 in Durban, South Africa. All three candidates must submit their official bid book to the IOC next week. They are then visited by IOC inspectors ahead of the vote.

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