Allianz is a national sponsor of the Munich 2018 bid

"It would be wonderful if we could bring the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to the city where our company has its headquarters," said Joseph K. Gross, Head of Group Market Management at Allianz SE. "As one of the world's largest insurers, Allianz has expertise in some of the areas that are fundamental in this day and age, for example security and risk management. This means we are extremely well placed to support the bid as a 'knowledge partner.'"

For Allianz, therefore, an important aspect of this knowledge partnership is to pass on the experience the company already has in three of the key areas defined by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), namely "security", "the environment" and "financing". To do this, Allianz will initiate and support an exchange of experience between the experts at the Munich 2018 Bid Committee and its own experts from the different areas of the company. Allianz is also the only sponsor of the Munich 2018 bid with Paralympics experience. For many years now, Allianz has been a partner of the Paralympic sport movement nationally and internationally, supporting both the International Paralympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee Germany.

"With the support of Allianz, we can create the best possible conditions for the Winter Paralympic Games," said Willy Bogner, CEO of the Munich 2018 Bid Committee. "The cities have been bidding to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games since 2001. The people who live here are already passionate about winter sports. We want to show that the Paralympic Games are a highly elite sporting event and to harness that enthusiasm to shine an even brighter spotlight on the achievements of these sportsmen and women."

"The exemplary attitude of the Paralympic athletes and the values of the Paralympic movement deserve greater attention, and we are working hard to achieve this," said Christian Deuringer, Head of Global Brand Management at Allianz SE. "As a national sponsor of the bid, we want to help the entire population of Germany feel this passion for Paralympic sport." Willy Bogner is delighted with the partnership: "In Allianz we have found a strong partner who feels a great allegiance to the City of Munich and the region, and also brings to the bid process superior expertise, particularly as regards experience and knowledge of Paralympic sport."