Annecy's Bid Book; PyeongChang's Ski Jump; Munich's Bundesliga Backing

Annecy Hits Highlights of Bid Book

Annecy 2018 says the candidature file delivered Monday to the IOC is a story of uniqueness, sustainability, legacy and youth.

In a statement released Friday to Around the Rings, the bid committee hits the highlights of a four-pronged, 429-page plan that is sure to weigh heavily in this summer’s vote for Winter Olympic hosting rights.

"The Annecy 2018 bid book is the fruit of long months of hard work by a team of great champions and first-rate technical experts," said Charles Beigbeder, Annecy’s newly appointed leader.

"Thanks to their dedication and the advice of the International Olympic Committee, we have submitted a project designed to win, a project we will be enthusiastically and actively promoting right up until 6th July in Durban."

Beigbeder, 46, was nominated to replace former chairman Edgar Grospiron last week and confirmed Monday afternoon, hours after French Olympic Committee president Denis Masseglia handed over the bid book at IOC headquarters in Lausanne.

The lengthy document covers all aspects of the bid plans, including government support, budgets, sports venues, transport, marketing, security and more than a little about sustainability.

"The Annecy 2018 Games firmly intend to mark Olympic and Paralympic history with a new approach to winter sports and the mountains, in a perspective of sustainable development," said bid VP Jean-Pierre Vidal.

"The Games will provide the ideal opportunity to promote a new model for economic, sports and tourism development in order to reinvent the mountains of the 21st century".

According to Thursday’s statement, Annecy also promises an ultra-compact setup, positive ecological footprint, dramatic Alpine backdrop, state-of-the-art equipment and the mobilization of 1 million youth on behalf of the Olympic Movement.

To view the entire three-volume bid book, click here.

PyeongChang Shows Off Ski Jump

The Alpensia Resort Ski Jump Stadium is PyeongChang 2018’s latest venue to earn an early stamp of approval.

Roughly 40 top-flight athletes took to the snow this week for the 2011 Ski Jumping Continental Cup, including five South Koreans.

"All facilities are best level quality, as good as those facilities in countries where winter sports are more developed," Wednesday’s gold medal winner Matjaz Pungertar of Slovenia said in a statement.

Alpensia would host six venues, plus the Olympic Village, Media Village and IOC hotel should, South Korea win hosting rights to the Winter Games.

"For many years PyeongChang has been working hard to keep its promises to the IOC," bid chairman Yang Ho Cho said in Thursday’s statement.

"The newly developed Alpensia Resort highlights our commitment to the Olympic Movement and the creation of a long termand sustainable winter sports hub in Asia that will inspire future generations of athletes."

Seven of PyeongChang’s 13 proposed venues are both completed and tested by competition.

Alpensia also hosted the 2009 Ski Jumping Continental Cup as well as a biathlon world cup event in 2008 and the sport’s world championships the following year.

Bundesliga Backs Munich Bid

Munich 2018 will have the backing of Germany’s top football league in the bid race’s final six months.

Lukas Podolski, Stefan Kiessling, Heiko Westermann and Dennis Aogo are among a who’s who of Bundesliga stars that will appear in the bid’s TV spots beginning this weekend.

"For Munich 2018 to have the football community on board sends out a powerful signal that everyone in Germany is uniting behind our bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2018," bid chair Katarina Witt said in a statement.

"Working together as a team, Munich 2018 and the Bundesliga, along with all of our supporters and sponsors, can generate enthusiasm for the bid that will reach fans and athletes of every sport."

The German Handball Bundesliga is also backing Munich’s bid to become the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

Written by Matthew Grayson.