British Olympic Association head Craig Reedie, an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, said “no city can promote itself outside its own country until you move from being an applicant city to a candidate city. Then, and only then, you are given instructions by the IOC which you have to adhere to”.
But when the time is right Cassani and her team will emphasize that no city is more cosmopolitan than London, with more than 300 languages spoken, and where athletes of every competing nation can expect a warm welcome.
Cassani said that even if London failed in its bid there would be no white elephants. “Our people, especially the young, will benefit from the new facilities. Our next generation of athletes will be better equipped to develop into future Olympians”.
London’s Mayor Ken Livingstone said London’s cultural diversity was always the main topic of conversation whenever his counterparts from other cities pay him a visit.
He said a London Games would be remembered as an event “where every single Olympian and Paralympian found a community that shares their language, their culture and their faith”.
