Munich Opens New Frontier in 2018 Olympic Bid Campaign

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(ATR) Munich 2018 bid leader Katarina Witt says the German bid "showed a new team" and delivered its strongest presentation in its international campaign at SportAccord.

Speaking to reporters after the presentation, Witt said she was satisfied with the pitch.

"I think today we showed a new team," Witt said, noting the inclusion of Ian Robertson, head of BMW's marketing and sales. "This is our strongest presentation so far."

As expected it stressed the Bavarian capital's passion for winter sports and Germany's promise to expand its sport development partnerships worldwide. But it was the first time that Munich has played its commercial hand in a presentation to members of the Olympic movement.

Robertson was among a speaker line-up that also included IOC vice-president Thomas Bach, who chairs the Munich 2018 shareholders board, Germany's minister of the interior who is in charge of sports, Hans-Peter Friedrich, the city's mayor Christian Ude and bid CEO Bernhard Schwank.

His speech was most powerful element of the pitch. Remarking BMW's burgeoning global marketing partnerships with the Olympic Movement, which also includes London 2012 and the NOCs of the U.S. France, Greece and China, he went on to underline the economic potential of staging the Games in Germany.

He noted that through their sponsorships, Germany companies already now funded 50 percent of the revenues of the seven winter IFs on the Games program.

"Winter Games in Munich 2018 would of course encourage them to stay on for decades and even increase their support," he said. "And that will mean much greater winter sport sponsorship everywhere and a much stronger Olympic Movement as a result."

After the presentation, Robertson told reporters that BMW was considering a worldwide Olympic sponsorship.

Munich appears to be building on the narrative that the Bavarian capital has not hosted a Winter Games for 80 years, a theme Bach took up in his speech. His script was similar to the one he gavein the closing press conference that wrapped up the IOC Evaluation Commission's inspection last month.

Bach emphasized that 10 generations of athletes "have come and gone without a Games, with no chance to push Germany's winter tradition to the next level of success.

Saying that Munich's promise was more than financial, he talked about Munich's plans to extends its sport development partnerships "to offer for the first time side-by-side training opportunities for winter and summer athletes matching sports in innovative camps in Germany's wide network of Olympic training centers". Munich showed three videos in its presentation, one focusing onthe cultural aspects, another giving a very clear overview of the two-park plan, with ice venues in the city and snow venues in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

U.S. Olympic downhill gold medalist Lindsey Vonn backed the bid in the third video segment that gave a taste of the reality of winter sports in Bavaria and featured various winter sports athletes getting behind Munich's plans.

"I really hope Munich and Garmisch-Partenkirchen get the 2018 Olympics," Vonn said.

The 'Festival of Friendship' slogan was repeated throughout Munich's presentation. Bid leaders also put emphasis on the way the city would transform some of the Munich 1972 summer Olympic venues to extend the legacy from 40 to 80 years.

Sports minister Friedrich offered guarantees about government support for the bid at all levels.

The 73 per cent public support for the bid was another key figure mentioned.

Witt promised an "ultimate athlete experience" and guaranteed full venues.

Bach said that Munich's pledges to strengthen the Olympic brand, "not just for one market but for all sport and the entire Olympic family" would leave a strong legacy for the Olympic Movement.

Written and reported in London by Mark Bisson