PARIS, 16 January 2004 — Nine cities vying for the right to host the 2012 Olympics find themselves locked in a ‘phony war’ as they chase sport’s most glittering prize.
Paris, New York, London, Moscow, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, Leipzig, Havana and Istanbul had until midnight to formally enter the race by returning an International Olympic Committee questionnaire and the IOC were not expecting any no-shows.
The cities also have to hand over a $150,000 non-returnable entry fee.
But whether or not the nine will be present when the IOC members vote the 2012 winner in their session in Singapore in 2005, will be decided by the IOC’s executive board meeting in Lausanne this May.
IOC President Jacques Rogge has several times insisted the nine are so strong that all of them could be in this May’s final list of candidates. But according to IOC sources, Rogge has privately told members that the nine will be reduced to probably six when the executive board meets. Until May’s decision, the nine cities find themselves in a race that at least some of them will not be allowed to finish.
The three likely victims of the May cut are Havana, Leipzig and Istanbul but there have been suggestions the field could be reduced to five finalists.
The specter of one of the favorites not making the final list turns the build up to the May vote into a nerve-racking time for the campaign teams. A random survey amongst IOC members worldwide have Paris and London leading with New York and Rio pushing them hard.
