On 22 June 2010, the IOC named Munich an official Candidate City for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2018 at a press conference in Lausanne, Switzerland.

On Munich’s historic Marienplatz, people were able to follow the announcement live on a giant LCD screen.

Willy Bogner and Katarina Witt gave regular updates to the expectant crowd via a live feed from the IOC’s Lausanne headquarters.

The crowd of over 1,000 people were entertained with raffles, mass karaoke performances and interviews with stakeholders, sports ambassadors and young athletes, with appearances from Mayor of Munich Christian Ude, Bavarian Minister of State Siegfried Scneider, Medal-winning Paralympian Andrea Rothfuss and three-time Olympic champion Georg Hackl.

Click here for pictures of the Marienplatz celebrations.

The 2010 Paralympics ended last night in Whistler with an amazing show that included Aboriginal hoop dancing, fireworks and wheelchair acrobatics.

The ceremony took place at Whistler’s Medal’s Plaza, and was meant as a tribute to honour and celebrate the more than 500 Paralympic athletes that participated in the Games and showed amazing spirit and fortitude.

The German Athletes in Whistler at the Closing Ceremony of the Paralympics 2010

Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador Gerd Gradwohl and his German team colleagues

Our athletes did an amazing job throughout the games, and won Germany the title of most gold medals at these Paralympics with a total of 13.  The total medal count was 24, placing Germany second overall behind the Russian Federation.

Medals of the Games

Alpine Skiing

Gold:

• Martin Braxenthaler (Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador) – men’s giant slalom – sitting

• Martin Braxenthaler (Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador) – men’s slalom – sitting
• Martin Braxenthaler (Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador) – men’s super combined – sitting
• Gerd Schönfelder – men’s downhill – standing
• Gerd Schönfelder – men’s giant slalom – standing
• Gerd Schönfelder – men’s super combined – standing
• Gerd Schönfelder – men’s super-g – standing

Silver:

• Martin Braxenthaler (Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador) – men’s super-g – sitting
• Andrea Rothfuss (Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador) – women’s giant slalom – standing
• Andrea Rothfuss (Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador) – women’s slalom – standing
• Gerd Schönfelder – men’s slalom – standing

Bronze:

• Gerd Gradwohl (Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador) – men’s downhill – visually impaired
• Andrea Rothfuss (Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador) – women’s downhill – standing
• Andrea Rothuss (Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador) – women’s super-g – standing
• Anna Schaffelhuber – women’s super-g – sitting

Biathlon

Gold:

• Verena Bentele  (Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador) – women’s 3km – visually impaired
• Verena Bentele (Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador) – women’s 12.5 km – visually impaired
• Wilhelm Brem – men’s 12.5 km – visually impaired

Bronze:

• Andrea Eskau – women’s 10 km – sitting
• Josef Giesen’s – men’s 12.5 km – standing

Cross-Country Skiing

Gold:

• Verena Bentele (Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador) – women’s 1 km sprint classic – visually impaired
• Verena Bentele (Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador) – women’s 5km classic – visually impaired
• Verena Bentele (Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador) – women’s 15 km free – visually impaired

Silver:

• Andrea Eskau – women’s 5 km classic – sitting

Congratulations to all of our amazing athletes!

Another golden day at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympics!

Martin Braxenthaler

Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador Martin Braxenthaler finished first in the men’s super combined – sitting with a time of 2:10.16.

Gerd Schonfelder won the men’s super combined – standing event with a time of 2:11.84.

Congratulations to our gold medalists!

Four more medals for the German Paralympians today!

The first medal of the day was a gold won by Gerd Schonfelder in the men’s super-g – standing with a time of 1:20.11.  This is his third gold medal at these Paralympics.

Martin Braxenthaler

The next medal was a silver in the men’s super-g – sitting from Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador Martin Braxenthaler with a time of 1:20.63, the third for Braxenthaler in these Games.

Anna Schaffelhuber and Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador Andrea Rothfuss then won two bronze medals.  Schaffelhuber medaled in the women’s super-g – sitting with a time of 1:38.68, and Rothfuss in women’s super-g – standing with a time of 1:32.47.  This is Rothfuss’ fourth bronze at these Paralympics.

Andrea Rothfuss

Congratulations to our medalists!

Another amazing day in Vancouver for the German Paralympic team!

Munich 2018 Sports Ambassadors Verena Bentele, Gerd Gradwohl and Andrea Rothfuss all won medals.  Verena Bentele won her fourth gold medal of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympics with a first place finish in the women’s 5km biathlon – visually impaired with a time of 15:08.8.  Gerd Gradwohl won the bronze in the men’s downhill – visually impaired with a time of 1:20.40, and Andrea Rothfuss won the bronze in the women’s downhill – standing with a time of 1:30.58 for her third bronze medal of these Paralympics.

Verena Bentele

Munich 2018 ambassadors Andrea Rothfuss and Gerd Gradwohl

Gerd Schonfelder also won gold with a time of 1:20.80 in men’s downhill – standing.  This is his second gold medal in the Paralympics.  Andrea Eskau won the only silver of the day with a time of 15:11.4 in women’s cross-country skiing 5 km – sitting.

Congratulation to our five medalists!

What a day for the German Paralympic team in Vancouver with a total of six medals including three gold, one silver and two bronze!

Andrea Eskau started the day off with a bronze medal in the women’s 10 km – sitting biathlon event with a time of 39:54.2.  Josef Giesen’s event, men’s 12.5 km – standing biathlon, came next where he also won a bronze medal with a time of 41:25.0.

The silver was then won by Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador Andrea Rothfuss in the women’s giant slalom – standing with a time of 2:41.6.

Andrea Rothfuss

The next three events of the day all yielded gold medals for Germany.  First came the men’s 12.5 km biathlon – visually impaired, which was won by Brem Wilhelm with a time of 38:28.6.  Up next was the women’s 12.5 km biathlon – visually impaired, won by Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador Verena Bentele with a time of 43:57.3.  And finally, the men’s giant slalom – standing, won by Gerd Schonfelder with a time of 2:23.92.

Verena Bentele

Congratulations to all of our amazing athletes!

Germany gets its fourth gold medal today!

Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador Martin Braxenthaler won his second gold medal of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympics.  Braxenthaler finished first in the men’s giant slalom – sitting with a time of 2:37.40.  His first medal of this year’s Paralympics was in men’s slalom – sitting.

Martin Braxenthaler

Congratulations to Martin Braxenthaler!

What a great day for the German athletes!

Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador Verena Bentele won a gold medal in the women’s cross-country 15 km free – visually impaired with a time of 45:11.1.  This is Bentele’s second gold medal of the 2010 Paralympics, her first being in the women’s biathlon 3km pursuit – visually impaired.

Verena Bentele

Germany also won two silver medals in the women and men’s alpine skiing – standing.  Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador Andrea Rothfuss won for the women, and Gerd Schönfelder for the men.

Andrea Rothfuss and Gerd Schönfelder

Congratulations to our three medalists!

Today’s medal marks the 110th gold medal for Germany in the history of the Paralympics!

Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador Martin Braxenthaler won the gold in the men’s slalom – sitting with a time of 1:41.63.  This is Braxenthaler’s eighth gold medal at the Paralympics.  In 2007 he was given the Laureus World Sports Award for Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability and won the sitting element of the IPC Disabled Alpine World Cup.

Martin Braxenthaler won his eighth gold medal at the Paralympics in total

Congratulations to Martin Braxenthaler!

Germany has won its first medal of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympics!  Munich 2018 Sports Ambassador Verena Bentele took the gold in the women’s 3km pursuit – visually impaired with a time of 12:51.08.  This is Bentele’s 11th Paralympic medal, and 8th Paralympic gold.

Congratulations from Munich 2018!