London 2012 bid leader Sebastian Coe is confident he can swing the “floating” voters in the final round of lobbying before the International Olympic Committee (IOCO) makes its decision as to who will host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
He dismissed suggestions that Paris was the favourite to win the bid and said London’s bid was building up “terrific momentum” as the vote gets nearer.
He told the BBC, “I think it is probably reasonable at this moment to suggest that a good chunk (of the IOC) are decided where they are going to vote, but I think there is enough out there that will probably be swayed by the presentation and what the cities have to say to them in the lead up to this”.
He said he was going to Singapore “with confidence, but certainly not arrogance. We’re taking absolutely nothing for granted. This is probably the most crucial week and a half this bid has had”.
He said, “the last few minutes of these campaigns are always vital”.
It’s going to be tough. This is a very competitive process – these cities would not be at the table if it was anything other than that”, said Coe.
When asked if he accepted Paris was the favourite Coe said, “you say that. I certainly don’t say that. I don’t think anybody knows that. The answer is that, as a bid, we have had terrific momentum in the past year. We have built on some very, very strong observations that have been made. We are taken seriously internationally and we have a very good concept”.
Meanwhile Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe seems to agree with Coe that nobody knows who will win the bid and it’s a very competitive process. Bookmakers and GamesBids.com have Paris ahead and Delanoe says Paris has earned top marks from the IOC’s Evaluation Commission and has made a powerful bid. But he adds the choice of the IOC members is far from being decided in the face of strong competition from the other cities.
“Paris has a very good dossier. We have advantages but the others are also good. The competition is open up to the final verdict, he told France Inter radio station.
Delanoe says he knows winning the necessary 50-odd votes from the 110 IOC members in Singapore on July 6 is another matter. IOC President Jacques Rogge has said it could come down to a handful of votes.
