At least I am surprised. All the buildup leading to today's announcement indicated Paris was the heavy favorite. Do you feel for the French? Paris hushed as Olympic bid falls short http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/sports/12065793.htm ELAINE GANLEY Associated Press PARIS - A hush fell over a crowd of thousands of Parisians gathered expectantly outside City Hall on Wednesday as rival London defeated the French capital in a hotly contested battle to host the 2012 Olympics. Raindrops began falling just before the announcement, and dejected spectators folded up French flags and streamed away from the square after Paris failed in its third attempt since 1992 to bring the games back to the city, which hosted the Olympics in 1900 and 1924. Tony Parker of the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs said Paris' loss proved the IOC had an Anglo-Saxon bias. "It's been three times now that Paris has been refused - 1992, 2008 and 2012. I find that bizarre," Parker said. "We did everything we had to do. I don't know what more we could have done. "It proves that the committee is Anglo-Saxon. They prefer the English." ...
Having the olympics sounds like a real pain. I understand the possible economic boon, and the pride thing, but it sounds like a logistical pain in the rear.
The Kindergarten Korps has spoken! Frankly, the only city that I care whether the Olympics is held in it or not would happen to be Houston Texas. The rest of the cities of the planet, in regards to hosting the Olympics, can go rub Nair on their nutsacks for all I care!
I don't really know what this has to do with politics, or anything close to it, but hey, I like taking shots at the French whenever I can.
While you guys are bent out of shape for Chirac making fun of british food, which dare I say none of you find desirable, in that same conversation Putin said the american hamburger was the worst food. Also, back in April, 2 consultants for the British bid criticized the centerpiece Paris Stadium. That's a breach of official IOC rules, you aren't supposed to comment on your rival's proposals. The French could have made an official complaint and seriously hurt London's chances, but they let it go. So don't give me none of this "that's what they get for talking trash" nonsense.
Athens definitely lost money, and I think I heard that Atanta did too. Salt Lake City made money, so economically it is a shot in the dark. I'm glad it isn't in Paris, they might put up some more ugly modern art pieces on the grounds of more historic buildings and settings.
from what i understand, the french bid actually tried to scale down the olympics from the extravagance of recent games. In that sense, i wish they'd won. The olympics has become a huge excuse for capital spending. Didn't know y'all were such a bunch of limey lovers. Especially so close to the 4th of July. Maybe you shouldn't have left the commonwealth .
Yet another bigtexxx post that proves he and his twin brother don't know what the f*ck they are talking about. No, Sunshine. I don't take offense to French jabs. I at juvenile, pathetic, kindergarten attempts at jabs of any kind. If you were clever, and perhaps even funny, you'd get a . Got it, Lugnut...or is this even too much for you to comprehend?????????
I am both a liberal and a French lover. Since when did French lovers become an insult? That is pathetic. Anyway I'm glad Paris lost it, and I don't particularly care for Chirac, but that food comment he made was hilarious. I did love that one. I would like him a lot better if he stuck to talking about British food. I do like French food, but I don't think it holds a candle to Spanish food. Spanish food is probably the best over all cuisine I've ever had in my life.
I'd like to see a Briton winning a Wimbledon Singles Title (the last was 70 years ago), men or women's, as a prerequisite to host summper Olympics in London. Great Britain's record in competitive sports has been nothing but a joke in recent (not so short) history - compared to other industralized countries of similar strength such Germany, France, Italy, Australia. Hopefully by winning this bid the British can rise up again in sports.
I just got off the phone with our London office and apparently London is going a little batty right now. What with Jr. coming into London today for the G8 and the Olympic bid being announced, London is a madhouse right now with the people cheering the bid and the yahoos demonstrating and turning over cars and the like protesting G8. Wild
Anglo-Saxon bias? You be the judge. I find the highlighted part particularly "amusing". BTW, the final round of voting was close: 54-50 in favor of London. Paris loses after international free-for-all By Lynn Zinser The New York Times THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2005 SINGAPORE In a surprising upset over front-running Paris, London snatched away the 2012 Olympics on Wednesday, capping a comeback in a bidding race it seemed nearly out of just a year ago. Sebastian Coe, a former British Olympian and member of Parliament, re-energized London's chances when he took over and led a hard-charging campaign to bring the Games back to Britain after two failed bids by Manchester and one by Birmingham. The other finalists, Moscow, Madrid and New York, were knocked out in earlier rounds. Outside the Hotel de Ville, the city hall in Paris, the crowd of spectators that had gathered to celebrate victory, trudged away in stunned disappointment. In Trafalgar Square in London, the crowd danced and shouted. In the presentations immediately before the vote, the French offered artistic flair, with an aerial tour of the city and Olympic rings floating around its landmarks. President Jacques Chirac of France and Mayor Bertrand Delanoë of Paris made emotional pleas to bring the Games to their city on its third modern bid. Paris had begun its presentation with a note of humility, a nod to the criticism that its past two bids were too arrogant and turned off an organization that prefers to be wooed. "Each defeat has served to increase our determination," Delanoë said, in French. Then, in another nod to previous criticisms about their reluctance to speak English, he spoke a few sentences in English: "I want to thank you for setting the bar so high and pushing us further toward excellence." Chirac, who did not attend the presentation for the last Paris bid, in 2001, made the most emotional appeal. He emphasized his long relationship with many IOC members and talked about the French people's desire to host the Games. "I shall vouch for this," he said in French. "You can put your trust in France. You can trust the French. You can trust us." But at heart, the presentation was built around Paris pouring its heart into its third and presumably final bid. "Paris wants the Games," Delanoë said in closing. "Paris needs the Games. Paris has the love of the Games." In the question-and-answer session afterward, IOC members asked about antidoping plans, guarantees for building the Olympic village and, bizarrely enough, the quality of French air conditioning. London's presentation centered on the theme of inspiring young people. Coe told the story of how he was moved to begin running when he watched the 1968 Mexico City Olympics on a tiny, black and white television. His career culminated in two Olympic gold medals. "Thirty-five years later, I stand before you still inspired by the Olympic movement," he said. London's film promoted the diversity of its people and the iconic backdrop of its venues. It also stressed the uniqueness of its plan to put the Olympic village within the confines of its Olympic park. But the presentation kept coming back to children, including the 30 that organizers brought along from East London, the area planned for massive regeneration if the Games are awarded to the British capital. "More than six million young people visit our city every year, and more of them choose our city for their education than any other," said the London mayor, Ken Livingstone. "If you wish to mobilize the youth of the world, start in London." The French presentation was followed by that of New York. The question-and-answer portion had a tense moment when an IOC member from Syria, Samih Moudallal, asked Dan Doctoroff, the New York bid leader, "Would the athletes and the officials of these countries on the terrorist list, will they be allowed to enter the United States of America?" Moudallal went on to refer to what he said were problems Syria had obtaining a visa for one of its Paralympic athletes during the 1996 Games in Atlanta. Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee, rebuked Moudallal, telling him, "You should not come back to issues of the past for which New York is not responsible." New York was followed by Moscow, which came nowhere near the professional quality of New York, but did place a heavy emphasis on the Russian love of sports and its Olympic success. Organizers played a video from President Vladimir Putin of Russia, in which he spoke in faltering English. Moscow officials said it was a Russian leader's first public address in English. Madrid's presentation was the least professional, relying on still photos with type superimposed for most of its visuals, as opposed to higher-quality video used by the other bids. Madrid saved its sports plans for last, with a few athletes involved in the presentation. It was the only bid to feature a Paralympian, Gema Hassen-Bey. The presentation order was decided by random drawing, with each city given 45 minutes for a presentation and 15 minutes to answer questions from IOC members. The voting proceeded by rounds, with the city receiving the least number of votes being dropped after every round. Moscow was eliminated first, followed by New York and Madrid. Paris had long been considered the front-runner because it tailored its bid very carefully to IOC requirements and to the criticisms of IOC members after two previous failed bids, for the 1992 and 2008 Games. For 1992, it was topped by Barcelona, which had the backing of the then-president of the IOC, Juan Antonio Samaranch. In the race for 2008, Paris organizers were bumped from the competition in the first round, leaving Beijing and Toronto to battle it out before Beijing won.
