Cities unveil 2012 Olympic Bids

Cities unveil 2012 Olympic Bids
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The nine cities hoping to stage the Olympic Games in 2012 have begun unveiling details of their bids.
Paris, the favorite, was first to launch its candidacy, with a glitzy ceremony at the Eiffel Tower .

Paris lost out to Beijing for the 2008 Games and also missed out in 1992, but it is confident it can win now.

London and Moscow have also revealed their bids; Madrid, New York, Istanbul, Leipzig, Rio de Janeiro and Havana are expected to launch theirs later.

Paris, which staged football's World Cup in 1998, will center its bid around the 80,000 capacity Stade de France - and 14 of the 32 stadiums needed are already built.


France's sports minister Jean-Francois Lamour said: "We have the know-how of how to organize things on a large scale.

"And the government will support the bid to the highest level, right up to President (Jacques) Chirac, whether financial, or in terms of security."

Bid committee director Essar Gabriel has promised there will be no white elephants which will be left to rust once the Games are over.

Moscow, competeng to host only its second ever Olympic Games, is considered an underdog in comparison with Paris, London, Madrid and New York.


Organizers feel the Russian capital's rich experience of hosting international sporting events and the positive attitude of its inhabitants could prove crucial.