Katarina Witt is optimistic Munich can reach an agreement with landowners opposing Germany's bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics, but the figure skating great says there are backup plans if a deal cannot be struck.
Witt, who chairs the Munich bid committee, delivered the city's 396-page candidate file Tuesday to the International Olympic Committee. The two other bid cities - Annecy, France, and Pyeongchang, South Korea - submitted their documents Monday, a day ahead of the deadline.
Munich's bid has been dogged by a dispute with a group of 59 Bavarian farmers and landowners in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the proposed site for Alpine skiing. They have so far declined to release their land for Olympic use.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Witt said the impasse centers on six or seven ''hardcore landowners'' who vehemently oppose the Olympic plans.
''There has been dialogue going on since the summer and there has been some results,'' the two-time skating gold medalist said. ''You first have to come up with a solution and keep the dialogue open until the very end.''
Witt noted that one of the main landowners recently signed a contract allowing his land to be used for the next 23 years for various World Cup and world championship events, though not for the Olympics. The agreement allows organizers to complete the downhill finish area for next month's Alpine skiing world championships in Garmisch.
''The owner signed a clause in the contract that says he will continue the dialogue about the Olympics,'' Witt said. ''This is a good sign. It is a big step.''
Garmisch, which hosted the 1936 Winter Games, is a 90-minute train ride from Munich.
Witt indicated that Munich has plans in case the dispute is not resolved ahead of the IOC host-city vote on July 6 in Durban, South Africa.
''Most of this process involves parking lots and hospitality tents, and those can be moved somewhere else. There are alternatives,'' she said, without elaborating.
''You will always have people who are not 100 percent convinced,'' Witt added. ''There will be some people who will always be against big events like the Olympics. There is nothing we can do about that.''
Munich will be eager to find a solution before the IOC's evaluation commission makes a site inspection from March 1-4. The panel will visit Annecy from Feb. 9-12 and Pyeongchang from Feb. 16-19.
The evaluation commission will then prepare a report for IOC members that will be published in May.
Munich is trying to become the first city to host both a summer and winter Olympics, proposing to use some venues from the 1972 Olympics. The Germans are banking on their extensive experience of hosting winter sports.
''We have so many world-class events in Germany,'' Witt said. ''We can show the knowledge and passion we have about winter sports.''
