Munich 2018 bid gains momentum from Garmisch referendum

By Klaus Bergmann May 9, 2011, 9:54 GMT

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany - Munich's bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics has received a boost by a successful referendum in the planned ski event site of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, local politicians said on Monday.

On Sunday, a majority of 58.02 per cent of Garmisch residents voted in favour of staging the events in their resort. Another referendum opposing the Games fell just short with 49.41 per cent.

'The Olympic bid has received momentum,' said Marcel Huber, head of the Bavarian State Chancellery.

Huber said that the Garmisch vote has brought clarity and that three quarters of the Bavarian population want the Games.

Peter Fischer, who led the Olympic supporters in Garmisch, named the victory 'a clear sign for 2018' while Axel Doering from the losing Olympic opponents said they could no longer stop the bid.

Munich is bidding for the 2018 Games along with South Korea's Pyeongchang and the French resort of Annecy. The International Olympic Committee elects the host city in a secret ballot on July 6 in Durban, South Africa.

Munich pledges to hold the ski events of the Games in Garmisch and an athletes' village is planned there as well. Both have seen Olympics before as the 1936 Winter Games were held in Garmisch and the 1972 summer edition in Munich.

The opposition in Garmisch includes a group of landowners resisting handing over their property for the Games. Others say that the resort at the foot of Germany's highest peak, the 2,926-metres Zugspitze, is simply too small with a population of 30,000 to stage an event of this magnitude. There is also concern over the financial risk.

Supporters argue with badly needed infrastructure improvements in the region, saying Olympics will have a general positive effect.

Huber expressed his hope that the rift in Garmisch can be overcome after the referendums and also reiterated that he aims for a settlement with the landowners in further talks.

'We must try and take into account all concerns and worries,' said Huber.

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