GamesBids.com: Exclusive Interview With Willy Bogner, Munich 2018 Olympic Winter Games Bid Chief  (Part 2 of 2)

Exclusive Interview With Willy Bogner, Munich 2018 Olympic Winter Games Bid
Chief  (Part 2 of 2)
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GB Editor on Saturday, March 13, 2010  9:00am EST
 
On Friday, GamesBids.com published Part 1 of a 2 part interview with Willy
Bogner, German Ski Olympian, Filmmaker and Head of the Munich 2018 Olympic bid.
Click this link to read part 1
The interview took place in Vancouver last month, during the 2010 Winter Games
where Munich 2018 was participating in the Olympic observers' program.
Following is Part 2 (of 2) of GamesBids.com’s exclusive one-on-one interview
with Bogner; a conversation with background on the Munich 2018 bid.
GB - "How is your public support?"
WB - All of the serious surveys that are really done by independent
organizations - we have more than two-thirds of supporters, which is a dream,
even at this early stage.  Obviously we really haven't started our campaign yet
and we expect even to grow from there.  Because Germany is one of the most
sports-loving places in the world, we have more than 20 million people
registered in sports clubs - it's almost one-third of the country belonging to
some clubs and then obviously you have a lot of people doing sports without
belonging to clubs which is another third.  So you have a great interest in all
of the population in sports, especially also winter sports.  So that's
definitely a very strong asset.
GB - "Are you working on a domestic marketing campaign?"
WB - Well, obviously when our team comes home to Germany this will be a very
good signal for all the media and everybody to bring the Olympic ideal to the
forefront, and we will definitely push for our bid.
GB - "What are your other thoughts inspired by the Vancouver Games?"
WB – “I think it's really amazing how the organizers here are dealing with
this complexity in great ways, so it can be done.  I think Munich has even a few
more advantages in the point-of-view of historical buildings and so on.  There
is a certain German Gemuetlichkeit - if you don't know the name it's a kind of a
laid back, relaxed atmosphere that you find in Bavaria and that's really helpful
for the Games - very friendly people, very open-minded - it's a good tourist
destination.  We have great hotels and there is very good infrastructure so
there is a lot to build on - so we're quite confident.
And then obviously German's are not necessarily known for their outgoing
emotional openness; the world championships in soccer in 2006 really was so
successful in the point-of-view of celebration of sports that we have a good
example there that German's can have fun.  They're not only working - which is
important also - they're working so that they can have fun.”
GB - "What are the advantages of a 'big city' Games?"
WB - We see it here, there's a city centre for the big number of media,
athletes and everything that is necessary - and visitors and Olympic family and
so on; the big number can be housed in a city where all the infrastructure is
there with the hotels and everything.  And the mountains can have a smaller one
- pretty much like you have here, in Whistler.
And I think we are even better in this because number one, our mountains are
much closer; our roads are better going there; the terrain is easier so you can
drive faster and we also have a train connection so it should be easier
structurally - obviously that helps us.
- End -
On Monday, initial bid plans are due into the International Olympic Committee
(IOC) for evaluation and the IOC will announce a shortlist based on their
findings in June.