Munich stole an early march on their rivals Annecy and Pyeongchang by parading double Olympic figure skating champion Katarina Witt (pictured with Munich 2018 chief executive Willy Bogner), whose presence drew the most media attention, although that was undoubtedly boosted by the large German media presence at these Games.

Witt is the chairman of Munich's bid and an ambassador for BMW, one of several blue-chip companies sponsoring the campaign.

She said: "In Germany winter sport is in our DNA and every winter we deliver the magical atmosphere that every Olympian deserves.

"I believe Munich will do even more: I can see little kids watching and dreaming of one day being part of it.

"This is our wish, to fire the passion so those kids become passionate for winter sport. It won’t be virtual, it will be live.

"We’ll have great celebrations - and the world should be part of it."

Besides Witt, arguably one of the most well-known Winter Olympic champions in history, Munich are also able to call on the support of Thomas Bach, the vice-president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Bach, who is also the President of German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), claimed that if the Olympics were held in Munich they would be the most successful Winter Games in history.

He said: "You can see such a major event being sold out, enthusiastic crowds cheering not only fellow Germans but athletes from all over the world.

"These events would be about not just winter sports but a celebration of fair play and the Olympic spirit.

"I believe Germany can do for the winter Games what our nation did for the 2006 FIFA World Cup."

German officials, who also included the country's Sports Minister Thomas de Maiziere, were keen to stress the country's record of safely hosting major events, ranging from the World Cup to the Oktoberfest, the annual beer festival in Munich that attracts six million visitors each year and celebrates its 200th anniversary this year.

But there was no mention of the attack at the 1972 Summer Olympics, when 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were murdered by Palestinian terrorists, until they were asked by insidethegames.

Munich Mayor Christian Ude said: "Of course we remember the incident in 1972, but this was the rise of global terrorism in the world and every country has its experience with terrorism since.

"We learned from this incident.

"We have had more than 10,000 events in the Olympic Park without any security issues."

Pyeongchang, bidding for the third consecutive occasion having narrowly lost to Vancouver for the 2010 Olympics and Sochi for 2014, tried to match Munich by including on their panel Kim So-Hee, the 1994 Olympic short-track speed skating champion.

She said: "They will be the most compact Games in history.

"Ninety per cent of athletes will be able to reach their venue within five minutes of leaving the Athletes' Village."

South Korean officials are claiming that 90 per cent of the country's population supports the bid.



Kim Jin-Sun, the Governor of Gangwon Province, the driving force behind Pyeongchang's bid, claimed that they deserved the Games after keeping its previous bid promises to the Olympic Movement, including funding the Dream Programme, which gives youngsters from country's not traditionally associated with winter sports the opportunity to learn to ski and skate.

Kim said: "We've had our disappointments in the past but we have never given up on our dream.

"We have worked very hard to keep our promises to the IOC.

"We have made every effort to build our infrastructure."

Another trump card that Pyeongchang hopes to play is that staging the Olympics could help unify Korea.

Governor Kim said: "Holding the Winter Games in Pyeongchang would symbolise the beginnings of reconciliation of the Korean peninsula. We are all making an effort to engage between North and South Korea."

For Annecy, the outsiders in the race, it was a first opportunity for the bid's new chief executive, former Olympic freestyle skiing champion Edgar Grospiron, to begin promoting their vision after a slower start than Munich and Pyeongchang.

Grospiron is one of 10 former Olympians and Paralympians on Annecy's Executive Board, five of whom are gold medallists.

They include Gwendal Peizera, the 2002 Salt Lake City figure skating gold medallist, and Jean-Pierre Vidal, the former slalom champion.

Grospiron said: "Our dream is to serve sport and uphold the Olympic ideal with a project based on the heritage of the very first Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924, as well as the future of the mountains and winter sports.

"It is our ambition to organise exceptional Games that will leave a strong legacy for the local region and the Olympic Family, benefitting youth and future generations."

The IOC is due to choose the host city at its Session in Durban on July 6, 2011.

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We will be profiling all three candidate cities during the next few days, starting tomorrow with Annecy.