Munich offers free training facilities for 2018 winter Games

Mar 1, 2011, 14:15 GMT

Munich - Athletes at the 2018 winter Olympics will get free use worldwide of Germany's Olympic training centres if Munich wins the bid to host the Games, an IOC team was told Tuesday.

'We want to open worldwide Germany's Olympic training centres for athletes of all National Olympic Committees,' Thomas Bach, the head of Germany's Olympic movement, said.

The offer comes at the International Olympic Committee evaluation commission was given a presentation at the start of its four-day inspection of the planned venues by the Munich bid organizers.

Munich is bidding for the 2018 Games along with Annecy, France and Pyeongchang, South Korea, which has made a similar offer on use of training facilities.

The IOC commission was due later Tuesday to meet opponents of the Games who contend the ski venue in Garmisch-Partenkirchen is too small to host an event of such magnitude. Some farmers at Garmisch-Partenkirchen are also refusing to give up land for events.

Visits to the alpine and Nordic ski venues in and around Garmisch-Partenkirchen as well as venues in Munich and Koenigsee are planned on Wednesday.

Chancellor Angela Merkel will also lobby for the Games at a dinner for the IOC commission on Thursday.

The evaluation reports are scheduled to be released in June. They are regarded as technical assessments of each venue to help IOC members who will elect the 2018 host on July 6 in Durban.

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