Munich has failed in its bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics, instead the International Olympic Committee has handed the games to the South Korean city of Pyeongchang. The Koreans had failed with two previous bids but beat Munich and Annecy of France, gaining 63 of the 95 votes cast in a secret ballot. The Bavarian capital had put forward a bid in which Chancellor Angela Merkel had written a personal appeal on Munich’s behalf and travelled to Durban, South Africa before the announcement, accompanied by President Christian Wulff, former Olympic figure skater Kati Witt and even Franz Beckenbauer, legend of the Germany and Bayern Munich football teams. The bid cost the city €33million, of which they are €6.5million short. This looks likely to cost the German taxpayer yet there is still a possibility the city could bid for the 2022 games.