LONDON, 7 July 2005 — London defeated archrival Paris and three other cities yesterday to win a nailbiting contest to host the 2012 Olympics.
The bid team promised that the Games — London’s historic third Olympics after 1908 and 1948 — would be the best ever and would transform a rundown eastern part of the city into an ultra modern sporting ground.
In the perfect start to a three-day summit between the Group of Eight world powers in Scotland, Prime Minister Tony Blair was ecstatic at the British victory, which beat hot favorite Paris as well as Madrid, Moscow and New York.
“It’s not often in this job that you punch the air and do a little jig and embrace the person next to you,” the prime minister told a news conference at the Scottish golf resort of Gleneagles, where he is to host the G-8 summit.
“It’s a fantastic thing and I’m thrilled,” Blair said, while admitting that he had been unable to bring himself to watch the tense announcement by the International Olympic Committee, meeting in Singapore, that London had won.
Blair said Paris had delivered a strong bid but, “it is just that in the end we obviously believed ours was stronger”.
Beaming broadly, he also heaped praise on London’s Olympic team, led by double Olympic medal holder Sebastian Coe, for turning what was first considered a long shot at the title into glory.
“One of the reasons we tipped this at the last moment was because it was very obvious that London and Londoners were behind the bid,” Blair said.
“We’ve Won” screamed the bold headline in London’s Evening Standard, complemented by a joyous Kelly Homes, Britain’s double Olympic gold medalist in Athens, literally flying the flag. The headline was just as much a sense of relief as it is a victory salute. London’s amazing coup will take some time to sink in, especially if the celebrations go on for a few days.
Perhaps more aptly, thousands of Londoners packed into Trafalgar Square under the watchful eyes of Lord Nelson himself, waiting nailbitingly for the decision in Singapore. As the dramatic news came through on the giant screen, they went into a frenzy of rapturous applause with confetti raining down on them. Kelly Homes and fellow Olympians such as Steve Cram led the celebrations in the square and declared the decision “a historic victory for Britain.” Cram, an Olympic 1500m gold medalist, praised the “vibrancy of the British bid” and its broader approach.
“It is undoubtedly the biggest thing for British sport in my generation and for the next few generations. It has given us something strong to focus on. It will inspire our young sports people to train just that little harder. Our bid was successful because it highlighted what it was going to do for young people, and the legacy it would leave behind once the Olympics are over,” he stressed.
From Stratford in the East End, the playground of the little David Beckham and where the main Olympic stadium and village will be located, to the City of London, crowds had gathered to await the bid decision. Local MP Lyn Brown, whose West Ham constituency falls in the ambit of the wider Olympic village, led the Stratford rejoicing. “It is absolutely fantastic. It will lead to the regeneration of the Stratford area bringing in huge investment and creating thousands of jobs. The children especially are excited that the Olympics is coming,” she said.
— With input from agencies
