100 days to go: Multi-sport European Championships Munich 2022 on the final stretch
© Marc Mueller Munich 2022
Malaika Mihambo jumps on the roof of Olympiastadion. All nine sports take to Munich’s night sky. With an impressive light show above the Olympiastadion, the multi-sport European Championships Munich 2022 are ringing in the final countdown - 100 days remain until the start of the biggest multi-sport event in 50 years in Germany.
From 11-21 August 2022, it's "Back to the Roofs". With the European Championships 2022, top European sport will return to Olympiapark in Munich under the legendary tent roof construction that was created for the 1972 Olympic Games. The slogan of the multi-sport event originates from this combination. A first impression symbolic of the slogan was shown by the projection in which Malaika Mihambo (athletics) and Marcel Nguyen (gymnastics), among others, jumped and tumbled spectacularly above the tent roof of Olympiastadion.
On the occasion of the milestone "100 days to go", the Managing Director of Olympiapark München GmbH Marion Schöne seemed optimistic: "With the discontinuation of many Corona regulations, we are finally looking forward to lots of events in Olympiapark again. We especially hope that the interest in the European Championships will now get another significant boost in the last 100 days. Of course, it is not easy to prepare such a big event during the pandemic, so we are all the more relieved now that the nine European Championships can take place without any restrictions for the spectators," said Schöne. The Olympiapark München GmbH expects around one million visitors in the sports facilities, on the sidelines and at the festival The Roofs. Tickets are available at munich2022.com/tickets - the price for a ticket starts at ten euros.
Munich 2022 stands for inclusion and offers extensive inclusive services
In addition to its pioneering role in the re-use of existing (Olympic) sports venues, the organisers of the European Championships 2022 are also setting new standards in the field of inclusion. For the first time, Para competitions will be integrated into the new multi-sport event, which combines existing European championships. In the second edition of the European Championships after 2018, nine European championships will take place – athletics, beach volleyball, canoe sprint, sport climbing, cycling, gymnastics, rowing, table tennis and triathlon. The 16 Paralympic competitions in canoe sprint and rowing are an integral part of the multi-sport event and are included in the official medal table. The three funding bodies, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Free State of Bavaria and the City of Munich, also welcome the inclusion.
Furthermore, the organiser also offers numerous inclusive services for spectators to make the event as barrier-free and inclusive as possible.
In search of new ideas to increase accessibility, the "Under One Roof" working group was set up and regularly exchanged ideas during the conception phase. The working group consists of representatives of the German Disabled Sports Association, the Bavarian Disabled and Rehabilitation Sports Association, the German Wheelchair Sports Association, Special Olympics Bavaria, the Munich Disabled Advisory Council and the Department of Education and Sports of the City of Munich. The result is, among other things, a barrier-free website and a comprehensive package of on-site services.
Together with the service provider AUDIO2, three free inclusive services for visitors with hearing and visual impairments will be offered for all medal events - audio description, mobile inductive hearing systems and sign language interpretation. The inclusive services can be booked via an online booking form at munich2022.com. The organising committee also guarantees wheelchair-accessible access to each venue as well as wheelchair-accessible seating. Inclusion and special inclusion volunteers will be on hand to ensure that everything runs smoothly, and the volunteers are sensitised.
The Roofs - the festival of special moments
The festival The Roofs complements the European Championships over the entire eleven days from dawn to dusk and combines sport with art and culture in a way that the Bavarian capital has last experienced at the 1972 Olympic Games. Nine self-sufficient event islands, called Roofs, will be distributed throughout Olympiapark. One Roof each at Königsplatz and at the Olympic regatta site and further side events at Odeonsplatz and at the cycling start locations Fürstenfeldbruck, Landsberg am Lech and Murnau a. Staffelsee complete the festival of diversity and surprise. The Roofs programme, which is completely free of charge, conveys more small-town character than gigantism, focuses on the special and unexpected and ensures a special festival flair as a whole. Detailed information on the individual Roofs is available at munich2022.com/en/festival. Three of the eleven roofs, the Central Roof, the Creative Roof and the Heimat Roof, are equipped with large stages on which national and international top acts provide top-notch festival feeling.
Gayle, LUNA and ELIF - chart toppers at The Roofs
As the first of numerous headliners, the organising committee presents ELIF, Gayle and LUNA, who will provide classic concert entertainment. US singer Gayle was number one on the charts from the USA all the way to Malaysia with her world hit abcdefu. In Germany, the 17-year-old Texan spent a total of eight weeks at the top of the charts. LUNA is also a new pop star. The Bavarian started her career in 2020 with the 50-second piano version of her song Verlierer (Loser). In 2021, LUNA seamlessly followed up her success with her follow-up single Blau (Blue) and was named "Breakthrough Artist of the Year" by several renowned associations and platforms such as Amazon, the Association for the Promotion of Pop Culture, 1 Live and the youth radio stations of the public broadcasters. Everyone is talking about ELIF: In 2020, after three years of radio silence, she released a top ten album right off the bat with "Nacht" (Night), followed a year later by the collaborative single "Highway" with Katja Krasavice, as well as a nomination for the 2021 Pop Culture Award. The concerts are all open to the public and free of charge. The other top acts will be announced in the next three months.
Juliane Seifert, Bavaria’s State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Home Affairs: "The countdown is on: 100 days to go until the start of the European Championships. 50 years after the Olympic Games, we are celebrating a festival of sport here in Munich and in Germany that brings so many sports and people together. With nine European Championships under one roof, the European Championships are the fixed star of top-level European sport. They combine first-class competitions with versatile opportunities to participate. I am particularly looking forward to the encounters and community that we have had to do without for so long."
Joachim Herrmann, Bavaria's State Minister of the Interior, Sports and Integration: "The European Championships will be an excellent example of how existing sports infrastructures can be used sustainably even 50 years after the 1972 Olympics. I am sure that during the competitions we will be able to feel more than just a hint of the Olympic spirit from back then. And the 1972 Games brought great added value to the city and the region. To this day, not only the sports world but also the entire population benefits from this boost to the development of the metropolitan region. The sports facilities shape the positive image of the state capital as well as that of the Free State - both nationally and internationally. "
Munich's Lord Mayor Dieter Reiter: "The countdown is on, and I am very excited for it to finally start in 100 days! 50 years ago, the Olympic Games took place in Munich and our city is still benefiting from them today. The European Championships are a worthy framework for this anniversary year and offer a unique opportunity for Munich to show itself from its best side as a hospitable and sports-loving city and to present the spectators with thrilling competitions. I am looking forward to it!"
Marion Schöne, Managing Director of Olympiapark München GmbH: "For us, the European Championships are the highlight of Olympiapark’s anniversary year. We can now look forward to the events of the summer with confidence and we clearly notice that people want to experience something again. The joy among the fans is rising, they finally want to be present live at such a top-class sporting event again and enjoy the unique flair in Olympiapark. Especially at the European Championships, in addition to the many free opportunities to experience sporting events, there are also many very inexpensive tickets so that the whole family can cheer on the athletes in the halls or stadiums!"
Marc Lembeck, Para rowing: "From the point of view of a Para athlete, I am very happy that the European Championships 2022 in Munich will be a joint event for Olympic and Paralympic athletes. It shows that the passion for sport is the common ground that matters, not the physical conditions that one brings along. Through the extensive range of inclusive services, people with and without disabilities can experience the 2022 European Championships together."
Malaika Mihambo, athletics: "The home European Championships have a very special meaning for me because the support at home is extraordinary and the atmosphere is even more motivating than elsewhere. The flair of the multi-sport event makes the European Championships even bigger and more spectacular. There is something for everyone - from fan to athlete and it gives everyone the opportunity to get to know and love new sports as well."
Marcel Nguyen, gymnastics: "Immediately after my injury, I set myself the goal of competing in the 2022 European Championships at home in Munich. The knee is still not ideal, but my anticipation is huge and my motivation unbroken, despite the long road back. The full recovery will hopefully be a precision landing to be there in front of the home crowd and possibly celebrate my farewell from the international stage."