Munich's organisational committee right on track
Preparations for the big party in celebration of the 30th anniversary of Munich Olympic Park, the European Athletics Championships from 6th to 11th August, are in full swing. As Wilfrid Spronk, Head of the Olympic Park and Executive Vice-President of the Organisational Committee for the 2002 European Championships, stated at the German Indoor Championships in Sindelfingen, the Organisational Committee is right on track with the preparations. The organisational issues for sports have been settled to a major degree together with the DLV and the EAA. Current priorities are the stadium and park designs, which will form an impressive backdrop for the entire Olympic Park facility.
As the Organisational Committee stated in its bid, the Athletics Championships should also serve as a major festival for fans of track and field, primary sport of the Olympics. Accordingly, overall programmes throughout the Olympic Park are now becoming more and more clearly defined. Coubertinplatz is turning into a major arena for partners and supporters of European championships, i.e. sponsors and other supporting and participating corporate partners, but also into a venue where various European regions will present their cultures and their culinary specialities. The area is supplemented by a sport and fitness area where visitors will be encouraged to get active in sports themselves. During the European championships, Mini-Munich, Munich's internationally renowned play town, which usually pitches its tents every two years in the area around Werner von Linde Hall, will present itself in the Ice Sport Centre area and in the park areas at the lake. Here parents can let their children participate actively in the play town. In keeping with its slogan "Europe meets in Munich", Mini-Munich will also invite representatives from other European mini-cities.
The open air concert that takes place every August in the Theatron at the edge of the Olympic Lake -- the longest open-air music festival in the world, by the way -- will become a stage for international and special European artists for the duration of the European Championships. European Championship guests and visitors can watch the presentations on the Theatron stage free of charge each evening.
Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, Patron of the European Championships
At the invitation of the German Track and Field Association, Gerhard Schröder, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, has assumed patronage of the European Athletics Championships from 6 – 11 August in Munich. Organisational Committee President Prof. Dr. Helmut Digel and DLV President Dr. Clemens Prokop welcomed the Chancellor's decision. Gerhard Schröder will attend the European Championships in person, and also provide promotional support to the Organisational Committee in the run-up to these championships.
Satisfied with Ticket Sales
Wilfrid Spronk expressed satisfaction with the response so far to the promotional activities. The response and the general interest in the European Championships this August was almost overwhelming. The measurable results reflected in ticket sales were considered more than satisfactory. About 55,000 tickets have been sold so far. Ticket sales and orders through clubs and associations are increasing significantly. In this regard, Spronk pointed out once again that only about 40,000 seats per day could be sold to the public in the Olympic Stadium, since media and other technical facilities and VIP reservations would make the rest of them unavailable. He appealed to track and field fans to order their tickets well in advance for this event, Europe's greatest track and field event of 2002.