Munich get 2018 Olympics pitches before IOC underway

By Sven Busch May 18, 2011, 10:49 GMT

Lausanne, Switzerland - The Munich camp was in a festive mood after what they considered a successful presentation of their 2018 Winter Olympics bid before the International Olympic Committee on Wednesday.

The Munich team chaired by former figure-skating great Katarina Witt made its 45-minute pitch behind closed doors to 89 of the 108 IOC members at the Olympic Museum.

'I had a good feeling from the outset, but this presentation brought us a good step forward,' said Thomas Bach, the German Olympic Committee president and IOC vice-president.

German interior minister Hans-Peter Friedrich, whose portfolio also includes sport, named the pitch 'very dynamic, very successful, emotional and highly professional.'

French outsiders Annecy also made their pitch while the third bidder, Pyeongchang of South Korea, was to wrap up the presentations at the technical briefing later Wednesday. All cities also have exhibitions which will be visited by IOC members on Thursday.

Pyeongchang, who are bidding for the third time in a row, are considered favourites and Munich their biggest challenger when the IOC elects the host city in a secret ballot on July 6 in Durban, South Africa.

Munich's pitch centred on its 'two-park' concept, Germany's proud winter sports tradition and enthusiasm, a big sponsor market and the environment, while IOC members also asked the team about the terrorist attack on the Israeli team when the city hosted the 1972 summer Games.

'I told them that Munich will never forget it and that it has sunk deep into our memory, and that the attack was not the result of a local conflict but the first terror attack in Olympic history. It could have happened anywhere,' said Munich mayor Christian Ude.

The Munich team also included two-time 2010 Olympic biathlon champion Magdalena Neuner, while Pyeongchang brought in last year's figure skating gold medallist Kim Yu Na.

Pyeongchang had Foreign Minister Kim Sung Hwan on board while Annecy, just like Munich, brought in the sports minister, Chantal Jouanno.

The political top brass from all three bidders' countries should then be on hand for the final pitch on election day.

German President Christian Wulff earlier Wednesday confirmed his presence in Durban, with Nicolas Sarkozy and Lee Myung Bak also expected to come to South Africa.

However, not even the presence of United States President Barack Obama helped Chicago win the 2016 Games which went to Rio de Janeiro.

The bidding process for those summer Games saw the inaugural technical briefing ahead of the vote, and Olympic experts said that Rio lay the foundation for its success at the Lausanne meetings.

The 1984 and 1988 Olympic champion Witt will have similar hopes for Munich, but remained modest by saying that 'it would be nice if every offered congratulation would also be a vote (for Munich).'

Witt compared the presentation to 'an exam' while bid chief Bernhard Schank said that 'We have shown our hunger for the Games again.'

Annecy, for its part, expressed hope to have closed the gap through its pitch.

'I think we are all even now,' said French ski legend Jean-Claude.

Read more about IOC