POSTED: November 10th 2010
InDepth
Munich 2018 case rests on 'Olympic loyalty' to winter sports tradition
KEIR RADNEDGE / Sports Features Communications
LONDON: Munich wants to make history as the first city to have hosted both summer and winter Olympic Games. Annecy and PyeongChang provide the opposition in a three-handed duel which sets European tradition against Asian emergence.
Katarina Witt, the Olympic gold-winning figure skater who is Munich’s bid chair, fears the damage which could be done by sport’s over-enthusiasm in embracing new markets – as she told SportsFeatures.com in London.
How you can argue against the global expansion of winter sports?
I know there is lot going on in the emerging nations, with the summer Olympics going to Rio and Latin America while Sochi is giving the winter Games a new direction. At the same time it’s necessary to balance things out because you need to nurture your roots and protect your traditions – the heartland where our sport has been for many, many years.
If a sport keeps going into new areas but doesn’t take care of its roots then the interest there could slowly disappear. How do you get young athletes interested in the sport if they don’t see it on TV – if they don’t have individual stars and role models in front of them?
I know a little boy in Germany might dream about being a Brazilian soccer star so the concept can be globalised - but it’s different again when your have your own national star. That’s why, a lot of the time, sport does well in a country when people can relate to their own national hero.
What are your strengths in Munich then?
As we said in our presentation to ANOC in Acapulco, we believe we have great assets in terms of knowledge, experience in putting on big events in Bavaria and being able to provide a great atmosphere for the athletes.
My own experience is that you do your best if you have a full stadium, bringing cheering fans on their feet. So you give your last breath right to the last second. This is what we were able to put across: the enthusiasm that fans have Germany for winter sports – whether downhill skiing or bobsleigh or whatever. This is where the tradition is.
And what can Munich offer to the wider Olympic world?
I always compare this with the football World Cup in 2006 in Germany. Who would have thought what impact it could have had worldwide? How Germany was perceived afterwards, worldwide, as a country with hospitality, with fun, with humour - all things we actually discovered for ourselves during that World Cup and shared with the world.
This is something we are sure we could offer to the world again in 2018 – creating that same atmosphere with fans who know about winter sport, who will support athletes from all over the world and create a great international fest.
The pictures would go around the world and people will say: “That reminds us of the World Cup.” Of course the weather won’t be as hot, it will be different . . . but we’re pretty confident we could deliver magic.
Has the problem with the landowners in Munich been fully resolved?
ANSWER . . . IN PART THREE OF THIS INTERVIEW – COMING SHORTLY
Keywords · Munich · 2018 Winter Olympics · Witt
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