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DURBAN (Reuters) - When International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge pulls out the name of the 2018 winter Games host from a crisp white envelope on Wednesday, it will most likely be a choice between the German Alps or Asia.
Germany's Munich and South Korea's Pyeongchang have been the clear frontrunners in the race to host the 2018 winter Olympics since the campaign started two years ago.
France's Annecy, the only other candidacy, has been playing catch-up throughout and looks unlikely to snatch a last-minute victory when some 100-plus IOC members vote at the session in Durban, South Africa.
Munich, vying to become the first city to host summer and winter Olympics after staging the 1972 Games, and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, planned site of the Alpine events, have a sparkling winter sports pedigree.
Pyeongchang, looking to bring the winter Games to an Asian city outside Japan for the first time, may have yet to stage the Olympics but it has continuously improved its bid after narrow defeats for the 2010 and 2014 editions.
This is the Koreans' third consecutive bid as they seek to become an Asian winter sports hub with what they say is a huge and growing untapped market.
"With one billion Asians living just two hours (by plane) from Pyeongchang, its popularity as a winter sports destination is increasing every day," bid chairman Cho Yang-ho told Reuters last month.
"The plan is to develop Pyeongchang into an Asian winter sports hub and deliver first class facilities for winter sports in a dynamic market."
The Koreans are planning to spend much more than the other two on non-Games infrastructure projects and are prepared to build some of them regardless of the IOC result.
That could look like a good deal for the IOC, which is eager to stretch the Games to new territories as it did for the 2016 summer Games by picking Brazil's Rio de Janeiro as the first South American host city.
LONG TRADITION
Munich on the other hand is the opposite, with its winter sports tradition going way back and a proven ability to organise major sports events.
Garmisch itself is an Olympic location, having staged the 1936 winter Games. What the Koreans are lacking in experience, Munich can seemingly offer in abundance.
The Germans also enjoy the industry's backing with 50 percent of sponsorship of the seven Olympic winter sports federations coming from German companies, according to bid leaders.
"With a passionate fan base of millions and viewing figures climbing ever higher, sponsoring winter sport in Germany just makes commercial sense," bid chief and double Olympic figure skating champion Katarina Witt told Reuters.
"The IOC gets 40 percent of its revenues from the Winter Games, so tapping into Germany's 2.6 billion euro sports sponsorship market can guarantee the long-term health of the Olympic Movement."
Both these bids will have their high-profile political support in Durban to lobby before the vote, with German President Christian Wulff and his South Korean counterpart Lee Myung-bak in attendance.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is still doubtful in what could be interpreted as a reflection of Annecy's chances of getting the nod.
CAMPAIGN STUTTERED
Annecy's bid to become the first French winter Games host since Albertville in 1992 has stuttered at times, marked by resignations, a lack of funds and lower public support in an IOC poll than its rivals.
While it is also a premier Alpine winter sports destination, Annecy was told to overhaul its plan last year after the first IOC evaluation of all bids.
Annecy chief Charles Beigbeder, who took over early this year, said the bid had recovered and was now poised for a tight finish.
"We are confident and committed going into the final days of the campaign in Durban," he told Reuters, rejecting reports the bid was running out of cash.
"Our campaign budget has been more than sufficient and we have had fantastic support from global commercial brands including LVMH and Air France."
The IOC has repeatedly said all three were high quality proposals, but few doubt it is a two-horse race, a choice between a new territory and a traditional winter sports powerhouse.
(Editing by Sonia Oxley; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
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Germany's Munich and South Korea's Pyeongchang have been the clear frontrunners in the race to host the 2018 winter Olympics since the campaign started two years ago.
France's Annecy, the only other candidacy, has been playing catch-up throughout and looks unlikely to snatch a last-minute victory when some 100-plus IOC members vote at the session in Durban, South Africa.
Munich, vying to become the first city to host summer and winter Olympics after staging the 1972 Games, and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, planned site of the Alpine events, have a sparkling winter sports pedigree.
Pyeongchang, looking to bring the winter Games to an Asian city outside Japan for the first time, may have yet to stage the Olympics but it has continuously improved its bid after narrow defeats for the 2010 and 2014 editions.
This is the Koreans' third consecutive bid as they seek to become an Asian winter sports hub with what they say is a huge and growing untapped market.
"With one billion Asians living just two hours (by plane) from Pyeongchang, its popularity as a winter sports destination is increasing every day," bid chairman Cho Yang-ho told Reuters last month.
"The plan is to develop Pyeongchang into an Asian winter sports hub and deliver first class facilities for winter sports in a dynamic market."
The Koreans are planning to spend much more than the other two on non-Games infrastructure projects and are prepared to build some of them regardless of the IOC result.
That could look like a good deal for the IOC, which is eager to stretch the Games to new territories as it did for the 2016 summer Games by picking Brazil's Rio de Janeiro as the first South American host city.
LONG TRADITION
Munich on the other hand is the opposite, with its winter sports tradition going way back and a proven ability to organise major sports events.
Garmisch itself is an Olympic location, having staged the 1936 winter Games. What the Koreans are lacking in experience, Munich can seemingly offer in abundance.
The Germans also enjoy the industry's backing with 50 percent of sponsorship of the seven Olympic winter sports federations coming from German companies, according to bid leaders.
"With a passionate fan base of millions and viewing figures climbing ever higher, sponsoring winter sport in Germany just makes commercial sense," bid chief and double Olympic figure skating champion Katarina Witt told Reuters.
"The IOC gets 40 percent of its revenues from the Winter Games, so tapping into Germany's 2.6 billion euro sports sponsorship market can guarantee the long-term health of the Olympic Movement."
Both these bids will have their high-profile political support in Durban to lobby before the vote, with German President Christian Wulff and his South Korean counterpart Lee Myung-bak in attendance.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is still doubtful in what could be interpreted as a reflection of Annecy's chances of getting the nod.
CAMPAIGN STUTTERED
Annecy's bid to become the first French winter Games host since Albertville in 1992 has stuttered at times, marked by resignations, a lack of funds and lower public support in an IOC poll than its rivals.
While it is also a premier Alpine winter sports destination, Annecy was told to overhaul its plan last year after the first IOC evaluation of all bids.
Annecy chief Charles Beigbeder, who took over early this year, said the bid had recovered and was now poised for a tight finish.
"We are confident and committed going into the final days of the campaign in Durban," he told Reuters, rejecting reports the bid was running out of cash.
"Our campaign budget has been more than sufficient and we have had fantastic support from global commercial brands including LVMH and Air France."
The IOC has repeatedly said all three were high quality proposals, but few doubt it is a two-horse race, a choice between a new territory and a traditional winter sports powerhouse.
(Editing by Sonia Oxley; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
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