Most of the nine cities bidding for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games will have the opportunity to show off their organizational skills by staging major championships in Olympic sports in the two years leading up to the election of the 2012 host city in July 2005.
But according to the London Evening Standard, London’s plate is empty.
The world athletics championships open at the Stade de France in Paris this weekend. The French plan to show off their transport skills with a special train taking athletes and VIPs from their accommodation to the Stade de France.
And Madrid 2012 will be hosting two important Olympic sports, athletics and swimming. Madrid will stage next year’s European swimming championships and the European indoor athletics championships in March 2005.
London is also behind the other bids because most key bid officials, including the chief executive and communications head, have not yet been appointed.
And since IOC members are banned from visiting bid cities because of the Salt Lake City scandal, London won’t have an excuse to invite senior sports figures to Britain, reports the newspaper.
Paris will have another opportunity to show off when IOC president Jacques Rogge holds a meeting of his executive board in Paris Friday, together with the council of International Association of Athletics Federations.
