Five cities make list for 2012 Olympics host race

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- New York and four European capitals -- London, Madrid, Moscow and Paris -- were selected as finalists Tuesday in the race to host the 2012 Olympics.

Four cities failed to make the cut: Havana; Istanbul, Turkey; Leipzig, Germany, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The field was trimmed by the International Olympic Committee executive board based on a report assessing the technical capabilities of the nine cities.

The unanimous decision, announced by IOC president Jacques Rogge, kicks off a 14-month race culminating with the selection of the host city by the full IOC assembly in Singapore in July 2005.

Four cities -- Paris, London, Madrid and New York -- were considered virtually certain of making the list. Moscow was the wild card, benefiting from its experience as host of the 1980 Olympics.

Paris came out on top in the IOC report based on an overall weighting of 11 technical criteria, ranging from infrastructure to security. Madrid was a close second, followed by London, New York and Moscow. Then came Leipzig, Rio, Istanbul and Havana.

The IOC report expressed "a high level of confidence" that Paris, New York, London and Madrid can host the games, but said it was "less certain" about Moscow's credentials. The other four, it said, "do not have the requisite level of capability at this time."

Geography favors a European city for 2012 after the 2008 Summer Olympics in Asia (Beijing) and 2010 Winter Games in North America (Vancouver, British Columbia).

New York, which has never held the Olympics, has to contend with anti-American sentiment fueled by the invasion of Iraq, as well as the geographical disadvantage of the 2010 games in Canada. The IOC is often reluctant to award consecutive Olympics to the same continent.

"Our 10-year Olympic dream has today taken a critical step forward," New York bid leader Dan Doctoroff said.

Asked about the geographical issues, he said, "The conventional wisdom is frequently wrong. We're just happy to be where we are right now."

Paris, which hosted the Olympics in 1900 and 1924, is viewed as the front-runner. The French capital successfully hosted soccer's World Cup in 1998 and the world track and field championships in 2003, and is seen by IOC members as having paid its dues after failed bids for the 1992 and 2008 Olympics.

"Our experience with previous bids has taught us a great deal about the needs and aspirations of the IOC," Paris bid chief Philippe Baudillon said. "We firmly believe that Paris will meet those needs."

London, which staged the games in 1908 and 1948, is considered a main challenger with a bid featuring several famous sports venues and tourist landmarks -- including tennis at Wimbledon and triathlon in Hyde Park.

"I am not surprised we have cleared this important first hurdle," British Prime Minister Tony Blair said in London. "A huge amount of work has gone into ensuring London's bid will deliver a memorable games."

Madrid is the only major European capital that has never hosted the Olympics, though Barcelona staged the 1992 games.

"We have been placed on the same level as major cities," Madrid Mayor Alberto Ruiz Gallardon said. "From now on we are going to have to be more demanding with ourselves."

Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov said the Russian capital is a "risk- free choice for 2012."

There were no major surprises in the elimination of four cities.

Leipzig was at a disadvantage because of its small size and shortage of hotel accommodations. Istanbul, making a fourth straight bid, didn't make much of an impact.

Rio, hoping to become the first city in South America to host the Olympics, has a major crime problem. In addition, Brazil is likely to be awarded soccer's 2014 World Cup -- it would be a major challenge to host both events so close to each other.

"If we could not take up the candidates of Turkey, Cuba, Germany or Brazil, it was absolutely not an indication we do not trust these countries," Rogge said. "It's just that their file at this time was not considered good enough."

The nine bidders had been listed as "applicant cities." Those accepted became official candidate cities. Each finalist must pay the IOC $500,000 to help cover the cost of the remaining judging and selection process.

An IOC evaluation commission will compile a thorough report on the bids before the Singapore meeting. Since the Salt Lake City bid scandal, IOC members are banned from visiting bid cities.

Immediately after Tuesday's announcement, British bookmaker William Hill installed Paris as the favorite at odds of 11-10, followed by London 5-4, Madrid 7-1, New York 8-1 and Moscow 20-1.

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