About 40,000 residents poured into the centre of Leipzig in the early hours of Sunday in celebration of the city being selected the German candidate for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. They were cheering and celebrating with beer, bands and fireworks.
The eastern part of Germany was a double winner because Rostock on the Baltic Sea coast was chosen the potential site of the sailing events if Germany wins the 2012 bid.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge said, “Germany will have good chances with Leipzig and Rostock. We know Germany’s ability to organize events”. He added that Leipzig’s small size (about 500,000 citizens) was not a disadvantage.
Leipzig’s 15 minute presentation just before the vote included a film that recalled the fall of the Berlin Wall, highlighting Leipzig as the cradle of the East German revolution that brought down the communist government which effectively ended the Cold War.
