In the evening shortly before eight on the Olympic site: Hundreds of young people stand in line that seems endless. The temperatures are icy, and the snow falls gently but relentlessly on the masses. What are the many people waiting for? The ice skates and funky outfits give it away: Like every Thursday, there is a disco night in the ice sports center. That means two hours of light show and music for the runabout racers. In these dreary times without clubs and dance bars, this attracts a lot of people.
But just like in other clubs and bars, not everyone is allowed in. But not because of a bouncer, but because the Munich ice rinks, like all other sports and cultural facilities, are only allowed to occupy 25 percent of their capacity due to the current Corona rules. Instead of the previously possible 800 people, only 200 people can slide over the ice in the Olympic Ice Sports Center. However, there are far more people in line on this snowy Thursday evening, and so the disappointment is great. An attempt was made to warn people about the overcrowding via social media, says Tobias Kohler, press spokesman for the Olympic Park. The skaters came anyway. So from this week on there will be a ticket system.
Order pizza in line
There are also long queues at the Prinzregentenstadion. The ice center of Stadtwerke München (SWM) is busy in the evenings and on weekends, which can be about a Display of the SWM be understood. People sometimes waited two to three hours to get on the ice, says Michael Silva from SWM. But the visitors accept it and are in a good mood, some have even ordered pizza in the queue. Once inside, the athletes can then swim their laps and do pirouettes as freely and relaxed as otherwise rarely – due to the corona restriction to a quarter.
To make matters worse, two Munich ice rinks will be canceled for recreational runners this year. The Eiszauber at Stachus announced in mid-November that – although already set up – it would remain closed this year due to the pandemic. The municipal ice and fun sports center West in Pasing is open, but only for school classes and club sports. The population is protesting against this, and the SPD / Volt town hall faction immediately requested that the facility be opened. Especially in the Corona winter, the city needs sufficient capacity for outdoor sports. “With us there will be no frustration instead of frost,” says the sports political group spokeswoman and applicant Kathrin Abele. The responsible department for education and sport promised an answer to the application in the coming days upon request. Until then, ice skating enthusiasts will have to switch to other tracks – and ideally get in line there early.