Bayern and Germany Soccer Trio Back Munich 2018 Bid

The Munich 2018 Winter Games bid team have been boosted by the announcement of Germany and Bayern Munich soccer stars Sebastien Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm and Thomas Muller as bid ambassadors.

The hat-trick of German icons will add valuable backing to the bid as representatives of Munich based soccer giants. Philipp Lahm is the national team captain while Muller and Schweinsteiger were both highlighted as top performer’s in last summers World Cup, with the former picking up the Golden Boot award.

The players helped to launch the nation’s top soccer league, the Bundesliga’s support for the Bavarian capital at the recent Munich 2018-branded match against FC Kaiserslautern.

Philipp Lahm said: “I am convinced that Munich 2018 has developed the perfect concept, offering great benefits to athletes visiting from all around the world.

“The Munich Olympic Park with the Olympic Stadium would be a perfect site for the Winter Games in 2018.

“I will be very excited if the Games come to Munich as not only am I a resident of the city, but I know that it would be a great opportunity to relive the amazing atmosphere that surrounded the FIFA World Cup in 2006 – the bid gets my vote.”

Bastian Schweinsteiger, who in his youth was a talented Alpine skier before embarking on a career in football, said: “Skiing is a passion of mine and I have always had a strong connection with winter sports.

“Many children dream of playing in a FIFA World Cup or competing in the Games in front of a home crowd.

“I was lucky enough to take part in a FIFA World Cup in my own country and, by supporting the bid to bring the Games to Germany in 2018, I hope to give all the young winter sports talents the chance to see their dreams come true as well.”

Echoing his teammate’s sentiments, Thomas Müller said: “The Olympic and Paralympic Games are one of the biggest and most important sports events in the world – that is why I am backing Munich’s bid and want to show my support as a sports ambassador.”