Olympic bid supporters to launch pro-games drive

MUNICH (AP) — Supporters of Munich's campaign for the 2018 Winter Olympics plan a petition drive to counter the opponents trying to force a referendum against the bid.

Munich Mayor Christian Ude said Tuesday that Olympic supporters have to fight back against the attempts of opponents trying to keep the bid in limbo until the International Olympic Committee picks the host in July.

"We have to do something and react," Ude said. "The other side just wants to have a Damocles sword hanging over the bid and we want to do something against it."

Munich is competing against bids from Pyeongchang, South Korea, and Annecy, France.

Opponents of the bid in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which would host the Alpine skiing events in 2018, are pushing for a referendum against the Olympics. Such a move would produce a lengthy court battle that would likely still be going on when the IOC votes July 6 in Durban, South Africa.

Anti-Olympic activists say the games are too big for the area around Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which staged the 1936 Winter Olympics. They also cite ecological concerns.

In addition, a group of farmers in Garmisch-Partenkirchen has refused to cede land needed for some Olympic venues, including the finish area of the downhill race.

The group's lawyer has again denied suggestions from bid committee officials that a deal was close.

A group of about 40 anti-Olympic activists held up signs against the games Tuesday evening at the central Marienplatz square.

Ude displayed a large wooden mallet he traditionally uses to tap the first keg at the annual Oktoberfest beer bash, as he presented Olympic plans Tuesday to the IOC evaluation commission.

The IOC panel is on a five-day visit to inspect the Olympic facilities. The group will also meet with anti-Olympic activists.

"Munich is a world-class city with a 'laptops and lederhosen' personality," Ude told the commission.

The Bavarian capital is bidding to become the first city to stage both summer and winter games. Ude said many of the 1972 Olympic facilities would be used again in 2018 if Munich won the bid. Munich would be the center for ice sports.

"Our plans would ensure the expansion and modernization of the Olympic Park and another 40 years of sustainable use. This would deliver an unprecedented 80 years of sustainable Olympic legacy," Ude said.

Thomas Bach, president of the German Olympic Sports Union (DOSB) and a vice president of the IOC, promised that Germany would open its training facilities to athletes from all over the world, in both winter and summer sports.

"Sharing our resources and strengthening the Olympic movement is a 30-year tradition for Germany," said Back, who was the president of two earlier IOC evaluation commissions himself.

"In Germany, we have a rich culture of winter sports and one of the world's most passionate audiences. We can provide an unparalleled platform for reinvigorating the winter sports movement worldwide and inspiring a new generation of young athletes," Bach said.

Katarina Witt, the president of the bid committee, stressed the "festival of friendship" theme of the games and said Munich 2018 "will leave everyone with lifelong Olympic memories."

The former Olympic figure skating champion said "passionate sports audiences create an atmosphere that makes competing in Germany an unforgettable experience for every athlete."