London Beats Out Paris to Host the 2012 Olympic Games

For the first time since 1948, the British capital of London will host the next Olympic Games when they are held in 2012. The city of Paris had been the frontrunner until the final round of voting when they were upset by London. The first three rounds saw the elimination of Moscow, New York, and Madrid, and in the final round London beat out Paris by only four votes, with the final tally of the International Olympic Committee being 54 to 50.

This competition to host the games was the most glamorous and the most hotly contested in history, with Paris being the favorite all throughout the campaign. But aided by strong support from Prime Minister Tony Blair, London was able to gather momentum in the late stages of the competition. Blair spent two days lobbying in Singapore this week, but said he "couldn't bear to watch" the vote on TV, so he awaited news of the final tally by a telephone call from his office on Downing Street in London. After hearing the news, he was exultant. "Many people do reckon that London is the greatest city in the whole world at the moment," Blair said upon hearing the result in Gleneagles, Scotland, where he is hosting the G-8 summit. "This is a momentous day for London."

Having failed bids for the 1992 and 2008 Olympics, this is the third defeat in a row for Paris, where the Olympic Games haven’t been hosted since 1924. "I'll put all my energy into our recovery, so that we know how to make something big and positive out of this ordeal," said Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe. As for the London bid leader Sebastian Coe, he was thrilled. "I'm absolutely ecstatic, we have the opportunity to do what we always dreamed about, getting more young people into sport," Coe said. "This is our moment. It's massive. It's huge. This is the biggest prize in sport." England’s soccer captain David Beckham echoed Coe’s exuberation with a personal observation. "In 2012, I can take my children to an Olympics which we might never had had the chance to do," he said. "This is such a huge lift for our country."

Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee, declared the result in a live televised ceremony from Singapore by opening a sealed envelope and then announcing, "The International Olympic Committee has the honor of announcing that the Games of the 30th Olympiad in 2012 are awarded to the city of London." All of the London delegates seated in the convention hall leapt to their feet, cheering wildly. In the city of London, the announcement was broadcast on a giant screen in Trafalgar Square and in the area of east London where the Olympic games will be based. Crowds cheered and waved flags as the announcement was read. After announcing London’s win, Rogge added, "We are very, very pleased with the victory of London. People we trust, people we know will give us a superb games." Rogge, himself a former Olympic sailor, met London’s bid leader Coe for the first time in Moscow in 1980, where Coe won his first gold medal. "We couldn't have dreamed at the time that we would, 25 years later, be signing the host city contract," Rogge said.

Paris was all but certain that it would win the honor, due to its persistence in bidding for a third time. The capital city of France had already acknowledged the IOC’s suggestions for controlling the cost and size of the games by planning to use its Stade de France stadium rather than building a new complex. But even though French President Jacques Chirac made a personal appearance in Singapore to drum up support for his city, Paris still lost despite being considered the favorite by many. The first round of voting was a tight one, with London getting 22 votes, Paris 21, Madrid 20, and New York 19. In the second round Madrid took the lead with 32 votes, followed by London with 27 and Paris 25. London then picked up the majority of New York's votes to lead Paris by 39-33 in the third round. With Madrid's votes split fairly evenly in the last round, London had enough to win.

IOC members said that London was looked upon favorably by the committee because of its long-term legacy, and bid leader Coe had the charisma and passion to deliver the most convincing presentation for his team. Senior Australian IOC member Kevan Gosper said London won because of the way Coe delivered his message in the final hours of the bidding. "They delivered on the day," he said. "The presentation just had that little extra feel." Dutch member Anton Geesink added, "Two different strategies—the French and the British. The British, they explained their love of the sport. It is a love affair for Sebastian Coe, that was the difference. Love you can explain, but you can't sell it."