On the Scene -- IOC Begins Munich Olympic Evaluation

Commission Opens Munich Inspection

A few minutes after 8:00 AM, the 11-member IOC Evaluation Commission began its work in Munich.

Presentations on three themes in the bid book were scheduled for the day. Meetingswill takeplace at the Koenigssaal conference room at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel, where the IOC is staying this week.

Walking to the room, members pass mannequins posed for winter sports, dressed with the Winter Olympic team uniform from their respective countries.

Inside, instead of a red carpet, an artificial ski course guides members to the room. A curling sheet separates the IOC team from the bid team.

An oversized Munich 2018 logo looms behind the speaker’s podium in the middle of the room.

The Bayerischer Hof Hotel is one of the most prestigious in the city and the favorite of celebrities, including the late Michael Jackson.

Banners for the bid are sprinkled throughout the city, with six large-sized billboards plastered on buildings facing the IOC hotel.

Restaurants and establishments supporting the bid have their own Munich bid posters and logos hanging in doorways. One restaurant attempted to lure potential customers with the Olympic Rings formed with their sausages.

Anti-Olympic Group Plans Demonstration

NOlympia, the group protesting Munich 2018's bid plans on environmental grounds,is scheduled to stage a demonstration outside the town hall this evening.

Ludwig Hartmann, a member of the Bavarian Assembly's Green Party, is set to lead protests over the bid's plans to acquire land for Olympic constructions in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, proposed venue for Alpine skiing events.

Hartmann will hold talks with Munich 2018 CEO Bernhard Schwank after the protest that was only organized with the approval of city authorities. Schwank will brief reportersabout the meeting this evening.

NOlympia officials are also meeting with the IOC Commission today. It is customary for the commission to meet with organized opposition in a bid city.

Media Briefings Sked

A series of briefings is scheduled for the media Tuesday.

First up: Munich 2018 sport ambassadors and experts. About an hour after that, Munich Mayor Christian Ude and the architect of the Olympic Village will meet the press.

Bid chair Katarina Witt and German Olympic committee secretary general Michael Vesper will speak at 6:30pm on the first day of the IOC visit.

The Evaluation Commission is in Munich until March 4. This is the final inspection for the commission which visited Annecy, France and PyeongChang, South Korea in February.

Written and reported in Munich by Ed Hula III.