Earlier this month the Green Party leadership 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.

Bach, who is also President of the DOSB (German Olympic Sports Confederation), was highly critical of the decision, controversially claiming that they had acted undemocratically.

He now claims that the row surrounding the Greens decision has served only to rally political support in Germany behind Munich's bid.

"The people in this party who know about the bid, they have been praising it," Bach told insidethegames following Munich's presentation to the European Olympic Committees Assembly here in the Serbian capital.

"The Greens in Munich are fully supportive of the bid. 

"The Green spokesperson has called the bid the most sustainable and the most ecological they have ever seen - that speaks for itself.

"If you would read the headlines in Germany you would see this is firing back at the Greens and not the bid.

"We had the debate in the Parliament for the budget 2011 where from the Chancellor [Angela Merkel] and all the other parties they were all reinforcing their support for the bid.

"So, in the end, after this week the political support for the bid was even stronger than before."

Bach also denied that the international headlines generated by the Greens decision would harm Munich's chances of being chosen ahead of rivals Annecy and Pyeongchang.

"Speaking to my friends of the IOC here I think they have already got this message," said Bach.

"They have seen the project.

"They know in Olympic bids that always there are some groups who will use it as a stage for their own purposes.

"So you will see me very relaxed about this."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
November 2010: Munich Greens defy leaders to back 2018 Olympic bid
November 2010: Greens withdrawal will not stop Munich 2018 vows Bach
November 2010: Unanimous approval for Munich 2018 Candidature File
November 2010: Munich given backing by German Government for 2018 Olympic bid
October 2010: Landslide vote for Munich 2018 Bid Book