By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year

August 27 - Katarina Witt, the chair of Munich's bid to host the 2018 Olympics and Paralympics, today vowed to instill some of the values that she witnessed at the inaugural Summer Youth Olympic Games in Singapore into their campaign.


Witt, the 1984 and 1988 Olympic ice skating champion, spent several days at the Games in Singapore and was inspired by what she witnessed.

She said: "The entire Bid Committee and I are filled with admiration for what the IOC (International Olympic Committee), the Singapore Organising Committee have achieved over the past 12 days.

"Executing such an ambitious vision is a truly staggering accomplishment.

"But what has made the Youth Olympic Games so special is the opportunity it has given an entire generation of young people to learn that being a champion is about so much more than medals.

"We, too, believe that it is about breaking down prejudices and bringing together young people from different cultures; about forging a sense of community that transcends international boundaries.

"Our goal is to stage an Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2018 that instils these values in young people all over the world."

Munich 2018’s campaign has been highly focused on engaging with schools and youth clubs, and plans for Munich’s legacy to the youth of Bavaria and Germany will form an integral part of their Candidature File, to be submitted to the IOC on in January 2011, Witt revealed.

Witt was echoed by Marlene Gomez-Islinger, a 17 year-old from Weiden, who competed in the triathlon in Singapore.

She said: "To me, training for the Olympic Games has always been a huge motivation.

"But even more than that, I’ve loved being part of a team of fellow students giving everything together.

"We may not have won all the medals we wanted, but I’ve met people from all over the world and learnt some really valuable lessons.

"It has been great fun and we’ve got an amazing team spirit."

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