Host City, Broadcasters, Federations look back on Munich 2022
Once the dust had settled, the main stakeholders of the European Championships Munich 2022 were quick to praise the second edition of the new generation multi-sport event. Here is a snapshot of some of the reaction from hosts Munich, the free-to-air broadcasters showing the event and the participating Federations:
Hosts Munich kicked off the multi-sport European Championships in a sustainable and innovative style with an entertaining cultural programme that attracted 55,000 people to the Olympiapark on the first day of The Roofs festival.
WHAT THE HOSTS SAID …
Marion Schöne, Olympiapark CEO, said, ''Munich 2022 demonstrated that it is possible to successfully and sustainably create and host a major multi-sport event with joint forces and new ideas, with existing infrastructure and committed partners – and to the satisfaction and benefit of all involved. The overwhelmingly positive feedback from athletes, spectators, partners, and sponsors speaks for itself. I wish and hope that the idea and the concept of our European Championships Munich 2022 will serve as a blueprint for future host cities and will be further developed.”
Europe’s major free-to-air broadcasters rated Munich 2022 ‘an outstanding success’ with the European Championships once again making ‘the whole greater than the sum of the parts’.
WHAT THE BROADCASTERS SAID …
In the wake of the European Championships, Ron Chakraborty, Executive Editor, BBC Sport, said: “Munich has been a great host for the European Championships. There has been a wonderful contrast between the iconic venues hosting the traditional sports such as Athletics, Gymnastics and Rowing and the creative approach to the newer sports such as BMX, Sport Climbing and Beach Volleyball.
“Once again, the approach of the European Championships to ‘make the whole bigger than the sum of the parts’ has worked well, with many sports reaching audiences significantly higher than when their events are held in isolation.”
Axel Balkausky, ARD’s sports coordinator, said: “Munich 2022 was an outstanding success. The European Championships inspired everyone. That could be felt by the audience on site at the many different venues. We can also see it in the outstanding ratings and user numbers of our offers, but also in the very positive and emotional reactions of the athletes.”
Laurent Eric Le Lay, Sports Director, France Télévisions, said, “Every day from 9 am to 11 pm, the teams of France Télévisions broadcasted all the 12 disciplines which were proposed. We went from one discipline to another throughout the 11 days of competitions offering an uninterrupted succession of captivating and emotional events. A beautiful organisation, a warm welcome, an enthusiastic public and a sumptuous decor in the magic place of the Olympic Park and within the city of Munich!”
The participating Federations were united in their praise for the European Championships Munich 2022.
WHAT THE FEDERATIONS SAID …
Renato Bertrandi, Europe Triathlon President: “I know that the German population are very enthusiastic about triathlons but something like that is absolutely amazing. The only similar crowd to Munich I have ever seen was during the 2012 Olympic Games in London.”
Enrico della Casa, UEC President: “We are really proud to be here, and, as we go back to our countries, we will remember Munich as one of the best events in cycling that we have had in our little history of UEC. One of the major benefits from this concept is that we can meet all the sports and to learn from them.’’
Annamarie Phelps, European Rowing Chair: “The European Championships concept definitely adds value to all the sports involved. Being part of it makes a big difference to the sort of audiences we get. We get people crossing over from difference audiences to watch rowing, and it really does give our athletes a unique stage to shine.”
Thorsten Endres, CEV Managing Director: ‘’Königsplatz was the hotspot, the party square in Munich, not only for beach volleyball but for all our colleagues. The whole package was really attractive and we were very happy.’’
Marco Scolaris, IFSC President: “We can hardly grasp what the impact will be. It’s insane what’s happening. Everyone is seeing our sport on TV and loving it. I think the impact is huge.”
Christian Milz, European Athletics CEO: ‘’We can proudly say that our hugely successful European Athletics Championships in Munich this summer was the best ever.’’