The residents of Munich love winter sports, as the second-largest winter sports festival centred around the Olympic Ice Sports Stadium clearly showed. The mood was fantastic, and the various different areas – from the biathlon and telemark to curling and the bobsleigh push – were all hugely popular. “Join in and experience winter sports” – this call by Olympiapark München GmbH, the Sports Department of the state capital of Munich and the Munich 2018 bid company was one heeded by 22,000 visitors at the weekend.
“It was wonderful to see how enthusiastic every one was, especially the little ones, who were taking their first steps on skis or ice skates,” says Olympiapark boss Ralph Huber, going on to say, "The second winter sports festival was also a great success. The population of Munich has certainly not been backward about making the most of the "Olympic" offerings, which have again been extended. The clubs and associations, with their many volunteer helpers, showed tremendous commitment and thus played a huge part in the event’s success. Not least, the winter sports festival has given the bid for the Olympic and Paralympics Winter Games in 2018 a major boost.”