Munich ready and confident ahead of 2018 Olympics vote

May 26, 2011, 13:32 GMT

Munich - Munich is ready for the grand finale of its bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics and sees a realistic chance to land the Games, German Olympic supremo Thomas Bach said on Thursday.

'The feedback on our presentation in Lausanne was very good. They let us feel that our bid has a realistic chance to win on July 6,' said Bach.

Bach was referring to the technical briefing at the International Olympic Committee last week where the three bidders Munich, Pyeongchang and Annecy presented their bids to almost 90 of the 108 IOC members.

The IOC elects the host city in a secret ballot on July 6 in Durban, South Africa.

German President Christian Wulff will lead the final pitch before the IOC on election day along with Bach and bid committee chair Katarina Witt, a two-time figure skating gold medallist.

Also present will be three-time Olympic luge champion Georg Hackl and skier Rosi Mittermaier, who won two golds and a silver in 976.

Bach said he felt 'like an athlete in the dressing room' ahead of the big event.

'We can't wait for this moment. We are looking forward to the fight for victory with the two other bidders,' said Bach.

The Munich camp has not only been boosted by the latest pitch. A dispute with land owners in the proposed ski venue of Garmisch- Partenkirchen has been settled and that community also voted in favour of the Games in a recent referendum.

'We really want to get the Games to Germany on July 6,' said Witt.

Pyeongchang are still considered favourites but they are not underestimating the Germans, with vice minister for culture, sports and tourism, Park Sun Kyoo, even saying that his bid was 'definitely not in first place' in the race.

Read more about Olympics 2018 Germany