The air in Munich was thick with anticipation. It was 1972, and an eleven-year-old Christine Strobl, now a former mayor, remembers the palpable excitement that gripped the city as it prepared to host the Olympic Games. “Everyone was so expectant, involved, or cheering along. It was truly wonderful,” she recalls, her voice carrying the echoes of a bygone era. This sentiment of collective enthusiasm, a city united by a grand event, is now resurfacing as Munich prepares for a new Olympic bid.
A Childhood Shaped by the Games
For young Christine, the 1972 Games were a formative experience. She vividly remembers attending competitions, particularly a swimming event where she witnessed Mark Spitz win gold in the 100-meter freestyle. “That was an impressive experience,” she states. Beyond the thrill of victory, the Games ignited a lifelong passion for sports, broadening her horizons beyond the familiar Saturday ‘Sportschau’ with her father. Athletics, gymnastics, field hockey, basketball – these disciplines, previously unseen, captivated her imagination. She estimates spending ten hours a day glued to the television, absorbing every moment.
However, the bright lights of the Games were tragically overshadowed by the 1972 Munich massacre, a terrorist attack that deeply affected her. “Then, of course, came the assassination. That influenced me in that I wanted to know why people do such things. I believe that was unconsciously the starting point for my political engagement,” Strobl reveals, highlighting the profound impact of the event on her nascent political consciousness.
Life in the Olympic Village: A City within a City
Years later, in 1997, Strobl moved into the Olympic Village, settling into a rented apartment on Nadistraße. She had always been drawn to the area. Surprisingly, she notes, apartments in the Olympic Village remained vacant for an extended period after the 1972 Games – perhaps two or three years. “You can’t imagine that today,” she muses. There’s even a rumor that lights were turned on at night in some empty apartments to make the area seem less desolate. She later moved to a small house within the Village before relocating to the Pressestadt in 2012, still within close proximity.
What makes the Olympic Village so special? “It has a certain isolated location. So it really is a village in the middle of the city,” Strobl explains. “Everything you need is there: shops, school, kindergarten. You quickly get to know each other, through childcare or when shopping. And it’s great for the children here. Traffic runs underground, I could let the children go to school alone very quickly.” She even had an apartment balcony from which she could oversee most of their school route, emphasizing the unique sense of community and safety the Village offered.
The Olympic Legacy: A Catalyst for Urban Development
Munich’s decision to pursue another Olympic bid raises questions about the city’s future development. Strobl acknowledges the ever-present need for housing in Munich. She points out the remarkable speed of construction for the 1972 Games: the city received the bid in April 1966, construction began in 1968-1969, and everything was ready by 1972. “You can’t imagine that today,” she says, attributing this efficiency to a different societal mood. “There was more a feeling of new beginnings. The application was in 1965, that was 20 years after the end of the Second World War. Many then had the impression that things were going up, that things were getting better.” This contrasts with what she perceives as a more pessimistic contemporary outlook.
The recent referendum saw a surprisingly strong turnout and approval rate for a new Olympic bid. “Yes, after I, as sports mayor, directly experienced the bid for the Olympic Winter Games, I was surprised,” Strobl admits. “I had expected a majority, but rather a narrow one. Although one must say, the city’s advertising effort was a bit greater this time.”
While personally fond of the idea of experiencing the Games again in Munich-even at the age of 83 in 2044-Strobl remains pragmatic about the financial implications. “The costs cannot be compared with earlier times at all,” she states. “Of course, the 1972 Games were also much more expensive than expected. And the current application will be very expensive.” She also cautions that hosting the Games could further increase Munich’s already high appeal, potentially making life more challenging for its residents, citing cities like Paris, London, Lisbon, and Dublin as examples.
Munich’s advantage lies in its existing sports facilities, minimizing the need for new construction. However, Strobl points out that by 2044, even these facilities would be 20 years older. While the Olympiahalle was renovated in 2020, its technology would be 25 years old by then. “It is therefore difficult to estimate what costs will come our way,” she concludes, emphasizing the need for careful consideration of both construction timelines and financial commitments. Despite these concerns, the enduring spirit of the Olympics and the potential for a renewed sense of community continue to fuel Munich’s aspirations.
Sources: [augsburger-allgemeine.de](https://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/bayern/olympia-in-muenchen-wie-wuerde-das-die-stadt-veraendern-112567812), [sueddeutsche.de](https://www.sueddeutsche.de/projekte/artikel/kultur/muenchen-olympiabewerbung-befuerworter-buergerentscheid-e878644/), [abendzeitung-muenchen.de](https://www.abendzeitung-muenchen.de/muenchen/muenchen-und-olympia-das-ist-einzigartig-art-1086862), [muenchen.de](https://www.muenchen.de/aktuell/olympia-buergerentscheid-klare-mehrheit-fuer-olympiabewerbung), [spiegel.de](https://www.spiegel.de/sport/olympia/olympische-sommerspiele-alles-wichtige-zur-olympia-wahl-von-muenchen-a-90158555-3f3e-4d20-8201-28278cbc7a36)
