Durban, South Africa – For the second straight day Munich’s 2018 Olympic bid team needed a shoe horn to pack in all of the photographers and journalists interested in covering their bid at the 123rd International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Durban. A large portion of the media in attendance was from South Korea; PyeongChang is considered Munich’s chief rival in the competition.
Bid Chair Katarina Witt revealed that Franz Beckenbauer, the President of the Germany 2006 FIFA World Cup and FIFA World Cup winner as both captain and coach of the German team, will be part of Munich’s delegation in Durban.
“Franz Beckenbauer is supporting us. He has been involved from the very start as part of the Board of Trustees, which I lead. We are very happy that he is here to support us,” Katarina Witt announced.
Katarina Witt and her team will present first to the IOC on Wednesday.
“Everybody in the race goes into it with the wish and the goal to win,” she said.
“Here it’s a competition where only the gold medal counts. So this is definitely a competition you’re only in so you walk away at the end and you hopefully be able to take the gold medal home with you and be awarded with hosting the Olympics.
“We think that we do have the best offer for the athletes for 2018.”
But it’s the IOC’s decision and members will elect the winner Wednesday in Durban.
GamesBids.com Producer Rob Livingstone is reporting from on-the-scene at the 123rd IOC Session in Durban
