Mronz plays DOSB card to boost Munich's Olympic bid

A member of both the German Olympic Sports Confederation's Presidium and the IOC said last week that his potential election as president of the national body could boost the Bavarian city's bid for the 2036 Games by raising Germany's international profile.德国奥林匹克体育联合会主席团成员兼国际奥委会委员上周表示，他若当选该全国性机构主席，有望通过提升德国的国际形象，为巴伐利亚这座城市申办2036年奥运会助力。

In an interview with German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, Michael Mronz, 59, argued that taking charge of the country's leading sports umbrella body would allow him to combine his existing role within the International Olympic Committee with greater institutional influence. "As an IOC member and president of a national umbrella organisation, you have a much stronger presence in international sport," he said, adding that Germany needed to "establish a much stronger and more visible presence internationally" to improve its chances of hosting the Games.在接受德国《星期日世界报》采访时，59岁的迈克尔·龙茨表示，执掌德国领先的体育伞状组织，将让他把自己在国际奥委会的现有职责与更大的机构影响力结合起来。“作为国际奥委会成员和国家体育伞状组织主席，你在国际体育界的影响力会大得多，”他说，并补充称，德国需要“在国际上建立更强大、更显眼的存在感”，以提高举办奥运会的几率。

His proposal comes at a pivotal moment for German sport, which has just selected Munich as its Olympic contender while also preparing for a change of leadership at the DOSB. Mronz hopes to succeed incumbent president Thomas Weikert, who recently announced that he would not seek another term, citing personal reasons and the heavy demands of a role he has held since 2021. The election is scheduled for 5 December in Frankfurt.他的提议正值德国体育的关键时期，德国体育界刚刚选定慕尼黑作为其奥运会申办城市，同时也在为德国奥林匹克体育联合会领导层的换届做准备。姆龙兹希望接替现任主席托马斯·韦克特，后者近期以个人原因以及自2021年担任该职位以来的繁重工作为由，宣布不再寻求连任。选举定于12月5日在法兰克福举行。

Although a search committee recommended Mronz, his election is far from assured. According to German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, around a dozen of the 42 national Olympic sports federations were believed to oppose plans to put him forward as the sole candidate, with objections ranging from the selection process to concerns over how much attention he would devote to federation affairs. Among his potential challengers is Martin Engelhardt, president of the German Triathlon Union and a DOSB vice-president. Nominations close on 30 October.尽管搜索委员会推荐了姆伦茨，但他的当选远非板上钉钉。据德国报纸《南德意志报》报道，42个全国奥林匹克体育联合会中，约有十几个被认为反对推举他作为唯一候选人，反对意见既包括对选拔过程的不满，也涉及他会在联合会事务上投入多少精力的担忧。马丁·恩格尔哈特是他的潜在竞争对手之一，此人担任德国铁人三项联盟主席，同时也是德国奥林匹克体育联合会副主席。提名将于10月30日截止。

Faced with that resistance, Mronz described plans to reform the DOSB that he believes could also strengthen Germany's Olympic bid. "Do we want this process of modernisation and reform within the DOSB, and do we also want to strengthen the Olympic bid internationally? That is the decision Germany's sports organisations must now make," he told Welt am Sonntag, stressing that both priorities had to move forward together rather than as separate initiatives.面对这种阻力，Mronz 阐述了改革德国奥林匹克体育联合会（DOSB）的计划，他认为这一计划也能助力德国申办奥运会。“我们是否希望在德国奥林匹克体育联合会内部推进这一现代化与改革进程，同时是否希望在国际上强化奥运申办实力？这是德国各体育组织当下必须做出的抉择。”他对《星期日世界报》表示，并强调这两项重点工作必须协同推进，而非各自独立开展。

That ambition also explains his insistence that he is not seeking the presidency simply for the title. "I don't want to be elected just to have a new title on my letterhead. I want to be elected because I have an idea that German sport can rally behind," he said. He also argued for changes in how the organisation operates. "If all you want is more of the same, then I'm the wrong person. If you want progress, if you recognise the need for the DOSB to strengthen its role as a service provider to the organisations that make up German sport, and if we want to put sport's interests back at the centre to gain greater acceptance, then that is what I am offering."这一抱负也解释了他为何坚持表示自己参选总统并非只为头衔。“我不想仅仅为了在信笺抬头上多一个新头衔而当选。我想当选，是因为我有一个值得德国体育界为之凝聚的理念，”他说。他还主张对该组织的运营方式进行改革。“如果你们只想维持现状，那我就不是合适人选。如果你们想要进步，意识到德国奥林匹克体育联合会有必要强化其作为德国各类体育组织服务提供者的角色，并且希望将体育的利益重新置于核心以获得更广泛的认可，那么这正是我所倡导的。”

His priorities include greater support for federations, protecting the autonomy of sport, modernising services and an Olympic bid that could help transform German sport. Mronz also wants the Games to drive the country's digital transformation, an idea he has discussed with Karsten Wildberger, the federal minister for digitalisation, as he explained during the interview.他的优先事项包括为各联合会提供更多支持、保护体育领域的自主权、推动服务现代化，以及一项有望推动德国体育变革的奥运申办计划。默伦茨还希望奥运会能助力德国的数字化转型，他在采访中解释道，自己已与德国数字化部长卡斯滕·维尔德贝格尔就此理念展开过探讨。

The international dimension of that strategy has taken on new significance since Munich defeated Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr by 91 votes to 50 in Germany's selection in September. The Bavarian city is Germany's candidate in a field of seven interested countries, alongside India, Qatar, South Korea, South Africa, Hungary and Türkiye, with further expressions of interest accepted until 31 October. Its plans include reusing venues from the 1972 Games and housing more than 90% of athletes in a central Olympic Village.自9月德国进行遴选，慕尼黑以91票对50票击败科隆-莱茵-鲁尔地区以来，该战略的国际层面有了新的重要意义。这座巴伐利亚城市是德国的申办城市，与印度、卡塔尔、韩国、南非、匈牙利和土耳其一同参与七个有意申办的国家角逐，对申办意向的征集将持续至10月31日。其申办计划包括复用1972年奥运会的场馆，并将90%以上的运动员安置在中央奥运村。

Although he believes Germany has rebuilt trust within the IOC, Mronz warned against complacency. "We are now further along in our bid to host the Summer Games than at any time since the 1972 Games. That is the result of the collective efforts of German sport. Even so, I warn against taking things lightly or assuming success is a foregone conclusion," he said.尽管默伦茨认为德国已在国际奥委会内部重建了信任，但他也告诫人们不要自满。“我们申办夏季奥运会的进展如今已达到1972年以来的最佳水平，这是德国体育界共同努力的成果。即便如此，我仍提醒大家切勿掉以轻心，也不要认为成功已成定局。”他说道。

The international timetable adds urgency, with prospective hosts due to present their plans to the Future Host Commission in November before the IOC Executive Board decides in March 2027 which will advance to Strategic Dialogue. In December 2028, a smaller group will be selected for Targeted Dialogue, ahead of a vote scheduled for mid-2029. In an official DOSB interview, Mronz said the organisation's Presidium had instructed its management to establish DOSB International GmbH to strengthen its international presence and support the Olympic bid.国际时间表增加了紧迫感，潜在主办国需于11月向未来主办委员会提交其计划，随后国际奥委会执行委员会将于2027年3月确定哪一方将进入战略对话阶段。2028年12月，将选出一个规模更小的团队进入针对性对话，之后定于2029年年中进行投票。在德国奥林匹克体育联合会的一次官方采访中，默伦茨表示，该组织的主席团已指示管理层成立德国奥林匹克体育联合会国际有限公司，以加强其国际影响力并为奥运会申办提供支持。

The federal government also backs the Olympic bid, with Minister of State for Sport Ronald Rauhe telling Der Spiegel that he had taken encouragement from remarks made by IOC President Kirsty Coventry during a telephone call with him and Chancellor Friedrich Merz, although this did not amount to official IOC backing. Rauhe reiterated that the DOSB would remain in charge of the bid for 2036, while Munich would keep its Olympic ambitions alive for 2040 and 2044 if it failed to secure the Games.德国联邦政府也为此次申奥提供支持，联邦体育国务部长罗纳德·劳赫接受《明镜》周刊采访时表示，他从国际奥委会主席科尔斯蒂·考文垂与他和德国总理弗里德里希·梅尔茨的通话中获得了鼓励，不过这并不等同于国际奥委会的官方支持。劳赫重申，德国奥林匹克体育联合会将继续负责2036年申奥工作；而如果慕尼黑未能获得该届奥运会举办权，其申办2040年和2044年奥运会的雄心也将持续。