According to a recent survey, a majority of German residents are in favour of Leipzig’s bid for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. There is 85 per cent support in the new region and 65 per cent in the old federal territory.
Also, the Deutsche Schulsportstiftung has signed an agreement of support for Leipzig 2012. About 900,000 participants of the sport initiative are now ambassadors of Leipzig’s 2012 bid.
Meanwhile, Germany’s Interior Minister Otto Schily said Tuesday after a meeting of the Leipzig Olympic bid’s supervisory board, “the support and sympathy for the Leipzig bid is increasing. I am confident that we will cross the first hurdle”.
Although Leipzig is regarded as one of the outsiders to win the 2012 bid, Leipzig officials believe last week’s meeting of the Association of National Olympic Committees in Athens, and indications from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that they would prefer more scaled-down Games, has boosted Leipzig’s chances.
Leipzig’s mayor Wolfgang Tiefensee said the call by IOC President Jacques Rogge for the Olympics to move back from the trend for larger Games was a good sign for Leipzig.
“From this I conclude that a corridor has been opened from mega-cities to cities like Leipzig and Rostock” he said.
Rogge is due to visit Leipzig in April.
