
LONDON EDGE OUT PARIS FOR GAMES
Wednesday 6th July 2005
London will host the 2012 Olympics after eliminating Paris in the fourth and final round of voting at the International Olympic Committee session in Singapore.
IOC president Jacques Rogge announced the result in favour of the UK capital, who last held the Olympics in 1948, at the Raffles Plaza auditorium and it was greeted with wild delight by the 100 official London delegates.
Crowds in Trafalgar Square cheered and waved flags as they heard the announcement on a giant screen.
Moscow was eliminated in the first round followed by New York in the second and Madrid in the third.
London centered its bid on the massive urban renewal of a dilapidated area of East London.
It's the fourth bid from Britain after failed attempts by Birmingham for the 1992 Olympics and Manchester for 1996 and 2000.
London bid chairman Lord Coe said the capital offered a "vision of inspiration and legacy" for future generations.
Coe drew attention to the fact that nearly half of London's delegation of invited guests were athletes and children.
He said: "Why are so many here taking the place of politicians and businessmen? "It's because we are serious about inspiring young people."
He also noted the capital's multi-ethnicity, saying: "Thanks to London's mix of 200 nations, they also represent the world and what unites them is their love of sport."
Tony Blair addressed the IOC on video after having to return to Scotland for the G8 summit.
Speaking in both French and English, the official IOC languages, the Prime Minister promised the Games would excite and inspire generations of children both at home and abroad.
"Our vision is to see millions more young people ... participating in sport, and improving their lives as a result of that participation," Mr Blair said.
Paris were long-time favourites but Atlanta beat favourites Athens for the right to stage the 1996 Games, Sydney defeated Beijing for the 2000 Olympics and Athens edged out Rome for 2004.
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