Munich to bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics

Stoiber, Bavaria's lame duck Prime Minister, went and wrote to the IOC saying that Munich wants the 2018 Olympics. A diplomatic faux-pas worthy of the man who committed it as only the NOC has the right to propose a candidate. Stoiber now says that he was supporting Salzburg's bid but found it fit to mention that Munich is considering throwing a Trachtenhut into the ring for 2018.
split off topic: Munich to bid for 2014 Olympics

I heard Christian Ude on the radio this morning saying that if Munich will get the 2018 winter games, it will be the first city that has hosted both the summer and winter Olympic Games!

And you know what, sparty? He's right!

Tromso, Munich, Now Consider 2018 Winter Games Bids

I have worked in Tromso in winter and the sun is a rare sight. I wonder how they could conduct the winter Olympics (apart for the blind).

i thought winter olympics were supposed to be held in cities that actually had winters? attempting to holding them in munich is bonkers. perhaps forty years ago it would have been ok. but not now. and certainly not in another decade's time.

Welcome to the changing times, upsidedown. Did you see the palm trees in Sotchi? Winter, pah! We make our own climate.

Just because last winter was crap, doesn't mean it's always like that. The winter before we had more snow than we could handle and experienced the coldest temperature I've ever known, -20,5°C. The lake in my Village froze in January, like it usually does, melted in February and then froze again. The skiing season started around Christmas and kept on going, with some of the best snow conditions I've ever experienced, well into April.

Munich is up against Pyeongchang (S. Korea) and Annecy (France) for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Here's the logo which gives me a headache. Maybe you get the full impact of it if you wear 3-D glasses.



More (in German) on the Münchner Merkur: München stellt Olympia-Logo vor.

The IOC will announce the winner on 6th July 2011 in Durban, South Africa.

The official bid website is here

Basically the ice events will be in Munich itself and the snow event in Garmisch and Oberammergau. Not that different to the way things were done in Turin.

I hope Munich wins it purely because the state will then finally be forced to upgrade the Munich-Garmisch railway line, but since PyeongChang came close for both 2010 and 2014, they are the hot favourites for 2018.

I believe the upgrade of the train line is planned anyway. After all the Alpine World Championships are being held in Garmisch in 2011 and that will be a big draw for spectators. As far as I can gather a focus of the Munich bid is that lots of the infrastructure is in place already or would be upgraded regardless (train line, roads, the new ski jump) and that some of the rest will be temporary.

I wonder how this year's biathlon world championships will reflect in Pyeongchang's bid. They didn't have much snow and I remember seeing news reports where some of the athletes didn't seem that happy with the course.

Some improvements to the line were announced last month after 20 years of talking, but these exclude the second line that is vital if a fast, efficient service is to be offered.

Also, spreads the events around more what with Europe having 2014. PyeongChang's clearly played the long game and while events there haven't been flawless, on the other hand it builds up their credentials as a host. What I suppose it may well mean is not Munich 2018 but perhaps 2022?

As to conditions, I went to Turin and, while not warm, it was hardly arctic either. I can't recall snow in Turin itself but you don't need it for ice-hockey or skating etc and indeed it's way better logistically for there not to be any snow / cold if not necessary. A lot of the events are either indoor or on artifical ice (bobsleigh etc) or "contained" areas that can be all but artificial if needed (skijump, and the modern "acrobatic" ski / board forms).

The weather only has to deliver good, reliable snowfall in the skiing areas and conditions that are nowhere near "arctic" (as that actually stops them happening). That can be in a place that is hours from the host city, just as was the case for Turin. This can make life demanding but all for the most committed spectator sports-fan though, in terms of seeing a range of events!

I just heard today that there are only three bidders in this??? I think France might have the edge considering the other "major sporting event" was already held in S.Korea and Germany recently as well as the Seoul Olympics in 88. Politically that has a lot to do with it. Munich simply needs to concentrate on beating Annecy and playing up the card that the 2014 Olympics will already played in an "Asian" country area.

France may not have the edge due to the fact that the Olympics were held in Albertville, just down the road from Annecy, in 1992.