Blair confirms Olympic attendance
Tony Blair has confirmed that he will fly to Singapore for last minute lobbying in support of London’s Olympic bid.
The final decision on who is to host the 2012 Olympics will be made by the International Olympic Committee on 6 July.
As the UK is hosting the G8 summit in Scotland that week, Mr Blair will not stay on for the final vote but will be in the air on the way to Gleneagles.
Yesterday Mr Blair said his visit to Singapore would aim to “meet people and convince them of the Government’s commitment.”
Earlier during Prime Minister’s Question Time, Mr Blair said: “The London 2012 bid is probably the best bid-certainly the best technical bid-in the field. That is a result not only of the excellent work done by (bid chairman) Lord Coe and his team, but of the work done across Government.”
Yesterday it was also announced that England football captain David Beckham has joined the bid team and will attend the crucial vote session in Singapore in July.
The Real Madrid midfielder has already played a key public role in the London bid, with much being made of his roots in east London, which is set to be extensively redeveloped for the Games.
“I am honoured to have been asked to go Singapore for what will be an historic vote,” he said.
“I come from the East End of London where the main Olympic park will be, so I am really excited by the plans for the development of the area.
“Winning the 2012 Games will be a huge boost for sport throughout the whole of the country, and that can only be good news.”
Bid chairman Sebastian Coe endorsed Beckham’s involvement, pointing out that the global status the 30-year-old holds makes him an ideal representative for the city.
“David Beckham is admired by young people around the world,” he said.
“He is a true inspiration to millions of fans and he is a wonderful ambassador for the London bid. David and I both believe passionately that sport has the power to transform lives.”
London is up against Madrid, New York, Moscow and Paris, the perceived favourite by many observers, for the right to host the 2012 Games in what has been one of the closest-run races in Olympic history.
