London wins over Paris to host 2012 Summer Olympics
London was selected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) members to host the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Voting, at the IOC meeting in Singapore, is on an elimination basis by IOC members. Of the original five city candidates, Moscow was eliminated in first round voting, with New York City eliminated on the second round; Madrid on the third round, leaving London and Paris as the final two.
Among the dignitaries who have traveled to Singapore to lobby IOC members are British Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac, Queen Sofia of Spain, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton.
London enlisted Princess Anne for its one-hour presentation with a message from Queen Elizabeth II, while Prime Minister Blair was active in holding a series of meetings with IOC delegates before flying home to host the G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland.
While Moscow lost in the first round, they are believed to be in a good position for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s delivered in English a live video message to the IOC, urging them grasp a “unique and truly historic opportunity”.
Both Moscow and Madrid’s bid were blemished by threats of terrorist attacks from the Chechnya and Basque extremist group ETA, respectively.
Charles Kao
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