London readies for Olympic visit
London is getting ready for the arrival of a team of key assessors from the International Olympic Committee.
An inspection team from the IOC will begin a four-day trip to the capital on Wednesday to assess the technical merits of the 2012 bid.
Though even a glowing report will not guarantee that London will get the games, a bad report could sink the city’s chances. The visit has more significance than in previous years, because new anti-corruption regulations mean that other IOC members will not be able to visit the city.
Bid leader Seb Coe will give a presentation to the 13 members before taking them on a tour of the city to see both existing venues and proposed sites.
The team will also meet Prime Minister Tony Blair and the other main party leaders at Downing Street on Saturday, before going on to a special dinner hosted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
Posters and banners are visible all around London, with the bid’s PR team handing out stickers of support to Londoners at key tube stations.
This morning the Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Tessa Jowell embarked on a whistle-stop tour of the Midlands to promote the benefits of the Olympic Games to those outside London.
She will be visiting venues such as Villa Park – one of the proposed football venues – and talking to key figures from business, arts and ethnic minority communities to try to convince them that a successful bid would have an impact far beyond the capital.
Speaking this morning, Ms Jowell said: “This is going to be an important and hectic week for everyone connected with the Olympic bid. But I made the time to do this because it is so important that people in the UK outside London realise this is a bid for the whole country, with very real benefits for us all – economic, social and sporting.
“On Valentine’s Day, I want the message heard loud and clear by the IOC that we love not just our sport, but the Olympics.”
A final decision on which city will host the 2012 Games will be made on July 6 in Singapore. London is up against the favourites Paris, along with Madrid, New York and Moscow.
