The German Olympic Sports Association (DOSB) is moving ahead with its plans for a bid for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. At a meeting on Monday in Munich, the 98 member organizations of the DOSB, which represent 27.8 million members, agreed on a concept study which was introduced to them by the planning team. The next step is a referendum in the communities of Munich and Garmisch-Partenkirchen as well as in the counties of Berchtesgadener Land and Traunstein on Nov. 10, four days before the bid has to be announced to the IOC.
The concept study is based on the much-lauded plans which were made for the '18 bid when Munich lost against PyeongChang, South Korea. The biathlon and cross country skiing events will be moved from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Ruhpolding and into the county Traunstein. In Ruhpolding exists a world class biathlon venue where the World Championships were held in '12 and a World Cup is hosted each winter. Aerials and halfpipe would be coming into the iconic Olympic Park in Munich, the site of the 1972 Olympic Games and a great example of Olympic legacy. The adaptations for Munich 2022 would mean that the '18 two-park concept with a standalone venue in Königssee (Sliding Center) would turn into a three-park concept with an ice cluster in Munich, a snow cluster in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and an endurance and sliding zone in Chiemgau-Königssee. Acting DOSB President Hans-Peter Krämer said, "We would like to offer the most sustainable Olympic Winter Games in history, using an existing Olympic Park and many existing world class venues such as the ski tracks and the ski jumping hill in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the biathlon venue in Ruhpolding and the sliding center in Schönau/Königssee. We are confident that the referendum on Nov. 10 will end in favor of the bid and we hope to convince the IOC afterward. Choosing Munich as host for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2022 would be historic because it would be the first city to host Summer and Winter Games in history" (DOSB).
