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Darkest Souls

The 2012 Olympic Games will be held in London, the International Olympic Committee has announced.

London won a two-way fight with Paris by 54 votes to 50 at the IOC meeting in Singapore, after bids from Moscow, New York and Madrid were eliminated.

Prime Minister Tony Blair called the win "a momentous day" for Britain.

Paris had been favourites throughout the campaign but London's hopes were raised after an impressive presentation by Lord Coe, the bid chairman.

IOC president Jacques Rogge made the dramatic announcement at 1249 BST.

It will be the first time the Olympics has been held in Britain since 1948.

Coe said: "This is just the most fantastic opportunity to do everything we ever dreamed of in British sport."

The Queen, in a message to Coe, said: "I send my warmest congratulations to you and every member of the London 2012 team for winning the bid for the UK.

"It's a really outstanding achievement to beat such a highly competitive field."

News of London's victory delighted flag-waving supporters who had gathered in Trafalgar Square and Stratford in the East End of London, where the new Olympic park will be built.

Shares of British construction companies soared, while mortgage lenders predicted house prices in the capital would rocket.

But raindrops began falling on disappointed Parisians outside the Hotel de Ville in the French capital shortly after the result.

Mr Blair had helped London's late momentum with a whistlestop 48-hour visit to Singapore, before flying back for the G8 summit in Scotland.

Breaking off from the meeting of world leaders, he said of London: "Many reckon it is the greatest capital city in the world and the Olympics will help keep it that way."

Rogge had correctly forecast a cliffhanger vote, and offered his congratulations to the winners.

"We knew the two bids were very, very close. Well done, London. It will be a superb Games and will strengthen the Olympics," he said.

An hour after the decision, London's bid leaders were greeted by warm applause as they signed the official contract to stage the Games.

This is how the decision was made by the IOC in Singapore on Wednesday:

All five bidding cities gave final 45-minute presentations to the IOC members before the vote began.

The electronic ballot started at 1126 BST. Moscow, New York and Madrid were eliminated from the race in the first, second and third rounds of voting.

The final round of voting finished at about 1145 BST, with the committee reconvening at 1230 BST for the official announcement.

Rogge revealed the winner, after a nerve-wracking wait, at 1249 BST.

Wednesday's decision brings to an end the 18-month race to win the host contract for the 2012 Games.

And it was the most keenly-fought bidding contest in recent years.

Paris was considered the front-runner for much of the campaign, and was highly rated in the initial evaluation and also by the inspectors after their visits earlier in the year.

But it was widely recognised that bid leader Lord Coe, a high-profile personality within the IOC and other governing bodies, hauled London closer to the French capital as the vote approached.

Madrid was seen as a consistent but not outstanding candidate, while New York's bid was dogged by problems over their proposed stadium, and Moscow was always seen as the rank outsider.

Once attention moved to Singapore, the bidding cities called on political and sporting heavyweights to champion their causes.

And the spotlight inevitably focused on Paris and London in the days leading up to the vote.

The two cities had President Chirac and Prime Minister Blair respectively in their corners.

Mr Chirac actually took part in the French capital's final presentation on Wednesday, while Mr Blair opted to lobby alongside the London bid team in Singapore before flying back to Britain to host the G8 summit.

London also called on England captain David Beckham and a galaxy of Olympic and Paralympic medallists as ambassadors, while footballers Laurent Blanc and Zinedine Zidane were among those backing the Paris bid.
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- A gem is not polished without rubbing, nor a man perfected without trials-

Gateborg · Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 10:18 pm Post subject:

If you are interested to read more about the Olympic Games in London, I would recommend this website http://www.london2012.com/

Everminds · Private First Class Joined: 04 Sep 2011 Posts: 50

I'm not looking forward to London 2012. All businesses in London have been asked to look at ways to allow their employees to work from home or for us to find alternative means of transport, ie cycling or walking, to allow those attending the Olympics priority over public transport.

For one, it will be interesting to see how our transport system copes.

Fort Europe · Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 3:52 pm Post subject:

Hmm... It seems only those visiting from abroad will be able to truly enjoy the Olympics. For my part, I have been told that I will be required to work in my office for the entire event due the the expected increase in workload. I won't even have a day off to attend. I may watch from home, but probably only the highlights late in the evening before bed... Which is no different to any other Olympics in the past!
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Odyssey · Private First Class Joined: 19 Mar 2012 Posts: 30

The torch relay route has been released

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17379058

Fort Europe · Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2012 11:43 pm Post subject:

It comes right past my home on the 15th July Smile

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Everminds · Private First Class Joined: 04 Sep 2011 Posts: 50

So exciting! The Games are almost here! Smile

Fort Europe · Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 10:58 pm Post subject:

I would love to be excited, but the whole thing seems to be geared towards creating more work for me, and the only thing that can be considered impressive is the pile of paperwork on my desk. This afternoon I considered getting a long pole and trying to vault over it.

Wake me up when September ends.
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