EM diary | The madness of the Olympic Stadium

To be honest, I had already expected that a visit to the venerable Munich Olympic Stadium would be one of the highlights of the European Championships. These expectations were far exceeded on my first visit on Tuesday evening. The journey there through the extensive Olympic Park, which was built in 1972 with its tent roof, which also stretches over a large part of the Olympic Stadium, was an experience. In the stadium itself, 40.000 electrified fans from many countries created a crazy atmosphere.

Of course, the athletes made a decisive contribution to this, especially decathlete Niklas Kaul and sprinter Gina Brückenkemper. This duo secured 2 unexpected gold medals for hosts Germany - to the delight of the home fans, who were clearly in the majority despite all the internationality. Niklas Kaul was still in 2th place before the last two disciplines, started an incredible comeback in the javelin throw and the 7 m run - wildly cheered on by the fans - and overtook the Swiss Simon Ehammer, who had been the clear leader for a long time. Gina Brückenkemper, on the other hand, threw herself into the finish in the 1500 meter final and overtook favorite Mujinga Kambundji (Switzerland) by 100 seconds. Of course, she didn't care at all that the German had to receive 0,005 stitches in her thigh because of her fall at the finish line.

Dieter Seifert reports from Munich. © ÖA / jaidermartina

Back to the internationality: Estonians, Swedes, Italians, Romanians and Swiss were sitting around me. The couple from Switzerland sitting in front of me reminded me of one of the first major sporting events that I was able to witness: exactly 35 years ago at the 1987 World Athletics Championships in Rome, sitting behind me were the parents of the Swiss Werner Günthör, who that evening became world shot put champion, pushing local hero Alessandro Andrei into second place. This time the Swiss had reason to celebrate again: the 2 silver medals from Kambundji and Ehammer. And the Azzurri fans? Ultimately, they also had big things to celebrate - first the bronze medal from 2 m runner Yemaneberhan Crippa and then THE gold one: the European championship title in the 5000 meter run from Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs, who gave a demonstration of power just in time for the European Championships. By the way: The light show that started the 100 meter finals alone was worth being there in the stadium. Warm temperatures Yesterday morning a different location: The Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle is one of the most historic sports facilities in Munich and, as the venue for the European Table Tennis Championships, adds another chapter to its history. The hall, built for the 1972 Olympic basketball tournament, then served as a venue for all sorts of events: for concerts by Bruce Springsteen and Queen, for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1983 and even for the filming of the cult classic “Rollerball”. The Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle has been the home of FC Bayern Basketball since 2011. And I was there to see South Tyrol's table tennis players Debora Vivarelli and Giorgia Piccolin, first in the doubles round of XNUMX, which unfortunately was lost, and then Piccolin in the singles, which the Bolzano woman ultimately won comfortably.

The hall certainly has its flair, and the lettering is also reminiscent of the 1972 Olympics, but the atmosphere couldn't keep up with that in the Olympic Stadium. Maybe the “fever” spreads more in the games where medals are at stake. Giorgia (26) hopes to stay in the race for a while. However, the European Championship is already over for her brother Jordy (25) and Debora Vivarelli (29), from Eppan, who has been married since June.

I experienced a lot more atmosphere, including upbeat music, at Königsplatz with the beach volleyball players and the sport climbers. And all of this in a square that is otherwise known for its buildings such as the Glyptothek, the Propylaea and the Lenbachhaus. Regardless of whether it was sport or culture: it was too hot for me under the blazing sun without any shade. I won't be back until today when our climber Filip Schenk shows his skills in the combined final.

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EM diary | The madness of the Olympic Stadium

The Olympic Stadium is one of the highlights of the European Championships in Munich. Dolomites editor Dieter Seifert describes his experiences on site.

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