Upon being chosen as the national candidate city, the concept for the Olympic Games was further refined and given a manifest profile to strengthen it for the subsequent inter­national com-petition. The most outstanding characteristic of the enhanced concept was the stronger focus on Leipzig as the hub of the Olympic Games. By bundling Olympic facilities within the urban context of the city, the demand of the inter­national sports associations for shorter travel times and optimal competition conditions could be fulfilled. The core elements of this "compact concept" consisted of the four urban venues: the Olympic Park (for principal Olympic events), the "Alte Messe" (martial arts and weightlifting), Leipziger Messe (ballgames), and the former open mine in so-called "Neuseenland" to the south of the city ("sports and nature"). The ensemble was rounded off by the Olympic Village at Lindauer Harbor and both of the media centers, MPC and IBC, in downtown Leipzig. The partner cities were either to provide training and acclimatization areas for the athletes, serve as Olympic youth camps, or were otherwise integrated into the cultural program. At the executive committee of the IOC meeting on May 18, 2004, Leipzig faced its inter­national challengers for the status of "candidate city", an official candidate host city for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.