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Reaction To London’s 2012 Bid Varies

While London’s bid for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games is getting positive reaction internationally, local reaction to the bid is somewhat muted.

Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) told London it should be confident of success in its bid to host the Games. He said, “London will be a front runner if they tackle the challenge well. If they have government support and a good team leader all the elements are there for a successful bid. The fundamentals are sound but you have to bring everything together. The IOC would want to have the best possible candidates and London has all the qualities”.

Kim Un-yong, the president of the Association of Summer International Federations said, “it’s good for the IOC that major cities are bidding – not like Manchester in the past”.

And Australia’s Kevan Gosper said, “I am delighted that London has come into the race. They will be the city to beat. All of the candidates are number one cities. The problem that Britain was up against in the past was that it didn’t put up its number one city. Now it has. They are the front runners”.

But locally there may be a north-east backlash to the bid. Regional political leaders say a London Olympics will suck cash for vital infrastructure improvements to the capital and cause further economic imbalances.

The reaction in the North-East heartland was unenthusiastic, reports The Journal.

When Culture and Sport Secretary Tessa Jowell confirmed the Cabinet’s backing of the 2012 Olympic bid and said London needed an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a regional Member of Parliament said, “so does the North-East”. Afterwards Durham North MP Kevan Jones said, “I find this decision absolutely remarkable. People in the North-East will find it hard to see how an Olympic bid for London will benefit them. What it will mean is sucking yet more resources and lottery money into the South-East and London, at our expense”.

And Newcastle North MP Doug Henderson said he backed the bid, but warned: “it will obviously mean a boost for infrastructure in London, but that must not be at the expense of the North”.

Manchester MP Graham Stringer said: “not only has the Government not got a regional policy, it has an anti-regional policy”.

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