1. International Presentation in Acapulco / Mexiko

21.10.2010

On October 16th we start our trip to Mexico for the very first international presentation of our bid. After many months of intensive preparation and countless talks with members of the Olympic family as well as representatives of the national and international media we are excited to finally present our bid to the public and meet our competitors.

On our way we make a stop over in Mexico City. We have invited the South American press to report on our application and as chair of the Munich bid I answer the questions of the journalists. Directly after we head to Acapulco for the 30th General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) where all 205 Federations of the Olympic Summer and Winter disciplines meet.

The hot summer days and the sea nearby are an invitation for a swim but I only get to see the water during my morning run at sunrise. Oddly enough some of the members of the French bid run at the same time and we almost start a competition about who is the first one to begin with their early-morning exercise.

Until presentation day we spend our days with intensive preparation. Again and again we rehearse our presentation. In between we use the time for talks with important members of the Olympic family.

In the afternoon of the 21st of October the moment for our presentation has arrived. Each of the three candidates get the opportunity to present their application for the first time in front of the members of the ANOC as well as international media representatives. Finally we get the chance to introduce our concept and our ideas to an expert audience and the public. Dr. Thomas Bach, Lord Mayor Christian Ude, Bernhard Schwank and myself lead through the program which consists of a video and several short lectures.

We are very pleased with the positive feedback after our presentation especially in the media at home. Leaving Acapulco on October 25th we feel that we have accomplished a notable result but of course we are aware that there is still a lot of work ahead of us.

In the photo I am accompanied by Dr. Thomas Bach (DOSB President and Vice President of the IOC), Bernhard Schwank (CEO of the Munich bid) and Claudia Bokel (2001 fencing World Champion and IOC member).