The Party leadership on Saturday (November 20) forced its co-chair Claudia Roth to step down as a member of the 2018 Board after a conference voiced environmental and fiscal concerns about Munich's plans.

But the local politicians have refused to back their leaders and instead thrown their support behind Munich, who are bidding for the Games against Annecy and Pyeongchang.

"We remain convinced that the Olympic bid offers a great opportunity for the development of our city, especially in the ecological aspect," Munich Greens leaders Siegfried Benker and Lydia Dietrich said.

But there was also anger at a statement by Thomas Bach, the President of the DOSB (German Olympic Sports Confederation), who had claimed that the Green Party were acting undemocratically.

"These comments for a decision of the party against the 2018 bid are more than outrageous and show a lack of understanding for democratic procedures," said Dieter Janecek, the chairman of the Greens in Bavaria.

"And it is the head of an opaque organization (DOSB) that bristles with commercial interweaving who questions the decisions of a democratically organised party."

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