Munich makes final presentation in front of IOC for 2018 Winter Olympic Games
Representatives from the city of Munich have just given their final presentation to the 95 members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in a last effort to secure the bid for hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics.
The representatives from Munich are present in Durban, South Africa, where the voting will be held later today. The delegation includes German president, Christian Wulff, internationally acclaimed German footballer, Franz Beckenbauer and Katarina Witt, the
Olympic figure skating champion who has won the title twice.
At the commencement of the 45 minute long presentation, Thomas Bach, who is vice president of the IOC along with being an integral part of Munich’s bid, stated that the Olympics need a location like Munich with “the passion of a whole city” urging it on.
"This vote is only about the merits of the bids. Today is about whether it is time to explore new territories again or restore our foundations," Bach added.
The presentation was made in a large part by Witt and emphasis was laid on the jubilant, cheerful and hospitable atmosphere of the city, which has a tradition of playing host to Alpine sports. This makes Munich the ideal location for a winter sporting event.
Other than that, the financial soundness of the decision was also emphasized by Bernhard Schwank, who is the chief executive of Munich’s bid. As the presentation was reaching its close, Wulff added his touch by directly addressing the members of the IOC
and assured them of the competence of Munich to carry out the task of hosting the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
The other two contenders along with Munich are Annecy and Pyeongchang. Pyeongchang is publically held to be the leader of the bid with Munich trailing close behind. Annecy is not considered in the running and is viewed as the underdog in the trio.
The winner of the bid will be announced by the IOC tonight after 11 p.m. In case Munich succeeds in its attempt to play the host, it will become the first city in history to have the honours of hosting both the Summer as well as the Winter Olympics events.
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