POSTED: Wednesday December 15th 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GERMANY'S PRESIDENT, CHRISTIAN WULFF, BECOMES MUNICH 2018'S LATEST INFLUENTIAL ADVOCATE

Bid Committee also secures Chancellor Angela Merkel as high-profile guarantor

Munich, 15 December 2010: Munich 2018 continues to benefit from the highest possible commitment of government support, with Germany's President, Christian Wulff, the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, and the Bavarian Parliament all taking active steps to back Munich's bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2018.

President Wulff today became the latest in a series of heavyweight political figures to publicly demonstrate his wholehearted support for Munich 2018. He said:

'Sport possesses an enormous capacity for integration. Sport connects people and transcends cultural boundaries. Sport strengthens values, like team spirit and respect. Hosting the Winter Games would be a great honour and an opportunity for our country to welcome guests from all over the world. I support the bid from Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Königssee to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2018 and I will continue to promote it internationally.'

President Wulff's public vote of confidence preceded the signing of a multi-party agreement by a number of high-profile guarantors, including Chancellor Merkel, uniting signatories in their commitment and support for all plans outlined in the Candidature File, due to be submitted to the IOC on 11 January 2011. Other guarantors included: Bavaria's Prime Minister, Horst Seehofer; Lord Mayor of Munich, Christian Ude; Mayor of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Thomas Schmid; Berchtesgadener Land district Head of Administration, Georg Grabner; German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) President, Thomas Bach; DOSB Director General, Michael Vesper; and CEO of the Munich 2018 Bid Committee, Bernhard Schwank. The list clearly demonstrates that the national unity behind the bid extends to every level of government.

Chancellor Merkel said:

'The Munich bid for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games is a matter of national importance. The Federal, state and local governments share a common vision and are committed to promoting and supporting Munich 2018.'

The agreement contains a total of 47 separate pledges on issues such as planned traffic measures, the construction of the Olympic Villages, and media accommodation. Further guarantees involve the free provision of public services, marketing agreements and branding rights, and an overall commitment to upholding national and international anti-doping regulations.

Speaking after signing the agreement, Thomas Bach said:

'Every echelon of German sport is determined to bring the Winter Games to Munich in 2018. The DOSB General Assembly has voted unanimously to support Munich 2018 and joins the huge number of supporters backing the bid. The signatures on the agreement serve to demonstrate to the world the desire we have to host the 2018 Winter Games.'

Christian Ude, an ardent supporter of the bid from the very beginning, said: 'Over 90 per cent of Munich city councillors fully support the content of the Bid Book - a powerful indication that the entire city aspires to holding a Festival of Friendship in 2018. Bavaria and Germany live in the legacy left by the 1972 Olympic Games. Our passion for the Games and the benefits they will bring Germany and the wider Olympic Movement creates a solid foundation for staging a Winter Games in 2018.'

Munich 2018 received further good news when the Bavarian Parliament reaffirmed its overwhelming support for Munich 2018 and voted 148 to 18 in favour of the Olympic Act. This Act ensures all necessary financial guarantees for the Games will be in place and is yet another sign of the cross-party backing the Bid Committee enjoys at all levels of government.

Prime Minister Seehofer said:

'Bavaria is ready to stage the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2018. The bid for the Winter Games has received widespread support and is strongly endorsed by our state parliament. The hugely positive vote of parliament representatives shows that Bavaria wants to welcome the Games, and, furthermore, is committed to investing in that ambition.'

Bernhard Schwank, said:

'I would like to thank all those who have signed the agreement as well as the Bavarian Parliament and Christian Wulff for the support they have shown for the bid this week. With these acts, we have sent out a significant gesture to the international sporting world and demonstrated strong political solidarity. This is of immense importance as we prepare to welcome IOC Evaluation Commission at the end of February.'

Following the completion of the Bid Book, Germany's Federal government, the government of Bavaria, the authorities of the city of Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the Berchtesgadener Land district, plus the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), have now all signed guarantees pledging active support for the planning, development and staging of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2018.

Download

Please download the attached files here:

https://www.muenchen2018.org/files/107601401sg002_merkel_signs.jpg

Picture 1

Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, and Prime Minister of Bavaria, Horst Seehofer, sit down to sign the multi-party agreement, as Lord Mayor of Munich, Christian Ude, German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) President, Thomas Bach, DOSB Director General, Michael Vesper, Berchtesgadener Land district Head of Administration, Georg Grabner, and Mayor of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Thomas Schmid, look on.

Picture 2

https://www.muenchen2018.org/files/107601401sg004_merkel_signs.jpg

Chancellor Merkel poses with the agreement, now bearing the signatures of some of Germany's most high-profile figures from the worlds of politics and sport.

Background
Munich, in collaboration with Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Berchtesgadener Land, is applying to host the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The application will be put together and managed by Bewerbungsgesellschaft München 2018 GmbH, whose management is chaired by Bernhard Schwank and whose managing director is Jürgen Bühl. Shareholders in the application organisation are the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) with 51 per cent, the City of Munich (30 per cent), the Free State of Bavaria (nine per cent), the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (eight per cent) and the district of Berchtesgadener Land (two per cent). The bid is being supported by national sponsors the Adidas, Allianz, BMW Group, BayWa, Flughafen München GmbH, Lotto Bayern, Deutsche Lufthansa AG and the Sparkasse Finance Group, along with national suppliers ARGE (Albert Speer & Partner and PROPROJEKT), Deloitte, GfK Verein, IMMO 2018, Messe München GmbH, Norton Rose LLP, Munich Olympic Park, pilot sport and Stadtwerke München GmbH. More information about the concept, the progress of the application and many other aspects can be found at http://www.muenchen2018.org.

Bewerbungsgesellschaft München 2018 GmbH
Munich 2018 Bid Committee
Olympiapark München
Spiridon-Louis-Ring 21
80809 München

Responsible for contents:
Bernhard Schwank and Jürgen Bühl

Press Contact:
Simone Seefried
Agnes-Pockels-Bogen 1
80992 München
Telephone: +49 89 540428-317
Mobile: +49 176 840 532 26

E-Mail: presse@muenchen2018.org

Online Press Area:
http://www.muenchen2018.org/en/press

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Keywords · Munich 2018 · winter Games · Olympic Bidding · Christian Wulff · Angela Merkel · Bernhard Schwank · Katarina Witt

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Name: Simone Seefried
Organization: Munich 2018 Bid Committee
Email:
Phone: +49 89 540428-317
URL: http://www.muenchen2018.org

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