MUNICH – Munich has a strong bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics that enjoys strong government support, according to the head of the International Olympic Committee's evaluation commission.
Gunilla Lindberg, the Swedish president of the commission, said Germany was a strong winter sports country that is accustomed to organizing big events.
"We have witnessed the strong government support which the bid enjoys, highlighted by the presence of Angela Merkel," Lindberg said Friday, at the end of a five-day visit by the 14-member evaluation team.
The German chancellor took her top ministers to a dinner with the commission on Thursday evening, shortly after completing a government reshuffle in Berlin, to make a final pitch for the Munich bid.
Merkel's delegation included Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere and Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich.
"We made clear the strong support on all levels for the Olympics and we underlined the passion of all of us for the games," said Friedrich, whose portfolio includes sports. "We showed clearly that the land is solidly behind the games."
Lindberg's commission will present its report to the IOC in May. She was careful not to compare Munich with other bidders. Government support for the Olympics is usually one of the key factors considered by the IOC.
Munich, the last city to be visited by the commission, is competing against Pyeongchang, South Korea, and Annecy, France. The IOC will select the host city on July 6 in Durban, South Africa.
"All three cities are capable of hosting the games," Lindberg said.
Lindberg also praised the Munich's bid team as "highly professional."
The commission studies the technical aspects of the bid and assesses possible risks. The panel visited all the planned venues for the games.
"The chemistry worked," said Thomas Bach, an IOC vice president who is also the president of the German Olympic Sports Union, an umbrella organization comparable to a national Olympic committee.
Munich is seeking to become the first city to stage both summer and winter games, and plans call for much of the 1972 Olympic park to be used in 2018 if the Bavarian capital wins the bid.
"I think we were able to convey our messages," said Bach, who has twice chaired ICO evaluation commissions.
Munich has been highlighting its concept of "games by athletes for athletes," and has singled out Germany's passion for winter sports.
"But we haven't hosted winter games in 80 years," said Bach, who added it was time to return winter games to their roots. "I think we got across our vision and passion and how united Germany is behind the bid."
Garmisch-Partenkirchen hosted the 1932 Winter Olympics. Under Munich's plans, it would stage Alpine skiing and other snow events in 2018.
Some local farmers have so far refused to cede land needed for the Olympics, but bid officials repeated Friday that they hoped to settle the issue soon.
One farmer's plot of 8,600 square feet is needed for the finish area of the downhill, the glamor event in Alpine skiing. Bid officials say they can work around it if the farmer persists in his refusal.
The evaluation commission met with the anti-Olympic activists in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, who are also seeking to gather local support for a referendum on the games. Opponents say the games would be too big for the area and had ecological concerns.
Commission member Gilbert Felli said the panel "studied carefully" the opponents' arguments and believes a resolution of the land problem was possible.
"It's feasible to find an alternative" even if there is no agreement with the farmers, Felli said.
Under Munich's plans, the city would host ice events, while luge and bobsled would be staged at the sliding center at Koenigssee, a lake near Munich.
The iconic 1972 Olympic stadium in Munich would be used for the opening and closing ceremonies.
Lindberg attended the 1972 games, which were overshadowed by an attack by Palestinian gunmen on the Israeli team and the deaths of 11 Israelis.
Bach also recalled the tragedy, saying "it will remain in our hearts and memory forever — the entire Olympic movement was taken hostage."
Avery Brundage of the United States, the IOC president at the time, declared that the games must go on.
