The regatta course in Oberschleißheim slowly came to life this Thursday, the first day of competition in the European Championships. The rowers were the first to start their competitions at nine o’clock in the morning. In front of the boathouse, some boats were still getting the finishing touches, some athletes were already doing their laps on the water, and the first spectators sat down in the stands. There weren’t many at first, the facility is too remote for casual customers. “It’s still quiet,” said the helper who guided visitors to the nearby bus stop via the busy federal highway 471: “There’s definitely more going on on Saturday and Sunday.” Then it gets serious, then it’s about titles and medals.
The first day of major sporting events is usually a warm-up for everyone, athletes and spectators alike. The program includes preliminary heats, preliminary fights, qualifications, which are more for the specialist audience, for friends, relatives and acquaintances of the participants. As for Noel and Sheila Lambe from Dublin, who, with two other relatives, took their places near the finish line early and unpacked their Irish flags. “We came to support our daughter,” says Noel Lambe, adding proudly: “She already won bronze at the Olympics last year.”
The daughter, Eimear Lambe, will start again in a foursome like in Tokyo in 2021 and this time also in a eightsome. Her family spent a total of 380 euros on tickets for three days of watching and supporting, “that’s expensive,” says Sheila Lambe. But whatever? Eimear is also celebrating her 25th birthday this Thursday, which can then be combined with a short vacation.
On the first day of the European Championships, there was still plenty of space in most of the sports venues, here the regatta course in Oberschleißheim.
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf)
The applause is sure to swell over the next few days.
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf)
Sarah Voss does gymnastics on the balance beam in the Olympic Hall.
(Photo: Soeren Stache/dpa)
Because of the quite demanding entrance fees, many interested parties seem to first take advantage of the free offers of the eleven-day event with nine sports. In any case, 55,000 non-paying spectators flooded the Olympic Park for the opening ceremony on Wednesday evening until it was closed due to overcrowding. You can’t miss that, the indie rockers Sportfreunde Stiller and the German rapper Marteria for free on the stage of the Theatron, which by the way is called Central Roof for the duration of the event. Just like the Olympia-Alm on the Olympiaberg is currently known as the home roof, all based on the 1972 reminiscence of the event motto “Back to the Roofs”, back to the (tent) roofs.
In any case, up there on the Olympiaberg, the BMX artists determined their finalists on Thursday to a booming musical accompaniment. With free admission, a number of people followed the events, many had made themselves comfortable in the shade under the trees and exuded a picnic atmosphere. Ilja Wutte had cycled here from Schwabing with his son, the ten-year-old on a BMX bike, as it should be. Wutte thinks it’s “great that there’s such a huge event in Munich again”. Before he goes on vacation, he wants to “take in as much as possible without having to pay the high entrance fees.” He would have liked to have seen climbing with his son, the Filius has just completed a course: “But you already pay 50 euros at Königsplatz.” He understands that, “the effort is huge”; nevertheless he prefers to save it.
There’s also plenty to see and do in the Olympiapark, home of the European Championships. At the Olympiasee you can watch the triathletes during the last training before their title fights at the weekend, and on the Kids Roof above the small Olympiahalle the younger ones cavort. They can be encouraged to move on various courses and with various balancing games.
A man from Munich, who only wants to reveal his first name Matthias, took a stroll through the park with his daughter after the two had watched the gymnastics qualification in the large Olympic hall in the morning; it was the turn of the German women right at the beginning. To return to the darkened hall in this summer weather, you have to be a die-hard fan of the sport. “I have a bit of an interest in gymnastics,” admits Matthias. He used to do gymnastics himself, his daughter is currently doing it.
In the afternoon they are back in the arena, which is still sparsely occupied, they have made an appointment with friends and later want to watch the only decision of the day, the women’s all-around final. For premium seats you have to pay up to 80 euros, for the cheapest 20. “That’s quite a steep price,” says Matthias: “But events like this don’t come to Munich that often.”
In any case, he likes the format with the combination of different European championships. “It’s good for the spectators to bundle that together. It’s going to be a bigger event.” That’s what the organizers thought when they brought the event to Munich to mark the 50th anniversary of the Olympic Games.