Madrid, London, Paris, New York and Moscow are currently battling for the right to host the Olympic Games in 2012. Up until the announcement of the results on 9 July, Al-Ahram Weekly will offer periodic updates on the latest news of the five bidding cities, some provided by the candidates themselves London and Paris have earned praise for their "very high-quality" bids to stage the 2012 Olympic Games in a crucial inspection report. The inspectors of the evaluation report assessed Madrid, London, New York, Paris and Moscow in 17 key areas, including venue plans, transport, public support and security. Paris, favourite of the five candidates to win, earned a glowing endorsement. The International Olympic Committee evaluation commission believes London can deliver promises on venues, transport, the environment and legacy. New York and Madrid earned positive remarks, but Moscow was criticised for a lack of detailed planning. The report does not specifically rank or grade cities, but could influence the 117 IOC members when they vote on a host city at a special meeting in Singapore on 6 July. Paris appears to have reinforced its status as front-runner, scoring highly for its accommodation, transport and budget plans. Officials from all five candidate cities are studying full details of the 123-page report. Paris did not receive a single negative comment. It says that a public opinion poll commissioned by the IOC showed Paris had 85 per cent support in its own capital and 79 per cent throughout France. In the November poll, 68 per cent of people in London and 70 per cent throughout the country supported its campaign. French accommodation and transport plans for the Games were praised, and the commission said there were no signs of their officials being complacent. The report states that a London Games would cost �2.36bn and "the budget is reasonable and achievable." London found favour with the legacy which a successful Games would leave behind, particularly in the capital's east end, where much of the bid is centred. And planned improvements to the city's transport network, which has been seen as a potential stumbling block, were given cautious approval. "Provided that this proposed programme of public transport improvements is fully delivered on schedule before 2012... the commission believes that London would be capable of coping with Games-time traffic," said the report. As for venues, the IOC did note that "careful planning would be required to ensure that all facilities are completed on time". Some reservations were expressed about the New York, Madrid and Moscow bids. New York, which had a public approval rating of only 59 per cent, was criticised for a lack of progress with its Olympic Stadium plans. Moscow had problems with its accommodation, security and planning, while Madrid needed more hotel rooms close to the Games. However, the Spanish bid earned praise for its integrated transport and infrastructure, plus its pledge to hold the "greenest ever" Olympics. Bookmakers reacted to the report by cutting London's odds, but Paris remain clear odds-on favourites to win the vote. London bid leader Lord Coe said his team was satisfied at the commission's conclusions on factors previously questioned, including the location of venues, the ability to handle transport demands, and levels of public and government support. "I think that we are in a position now to continue to build on the momentum that this bid has enjoyed," he said to the BBC. "We are in good shape to take the battle even harder and further towards our goal of bringing the Olympic Games to London in 2012." As for the New York bid, organisers insisted their campaign was back on track after striking a new stadium deal with the baseball team New York Mets. The city's bid was thrown into disarray last week when New York's State Public Authorities Control Board denied public money for a $2bn stadium in Manhattan. But now the Mets are to allow the Games to be held in their new stadium. In return, $250m of public money will be spent on turning the stadium into an Olympic venue if the New York bid wins. The Mets' new stadium in Queens, privately funded by the team, is currently estimated to cost more than $600m to build and is expected to be completed in 2009. New York's Olympic committee had consistently said that its Manhattan stadium plan was the only viable option for the Olympics. But the city's Mayor Michael Bloomberg hoped the new deal in Queens would be just as convincing when the IOC selects a host city. Bloomberg's said: "The Mets have agreed to allow NYC2012 to use their new stadium should New York be designated as host city for the 2012 Olympic Games. "If the IOC wants a city with heart, a city that can overcome its differences, that can pull together during trying times and will do everything possible to host a great Games, we are the city for them." New York had considered pulling out of the race to win the 2012 Games following the decision to veto public funding. But bid leaders appear to have taken advantage of an IOC ruling which allows them to submit modified plans in the event of "exceptional circumstances". Moscow's bid was the only one to be openly criticised but a representative saw it as a "positive evaluation". Moscow was criticised for "a lack of detailed planning in the candidature file", making it "difficult for the commission to evaluate the project." Paris' bid team said it was "more determined than ever" to host the Games following its glowing report. Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe said the city's bid team would continue to push for victory. "Don't expect us to be self- satisfied. Now we have some work to do," Delanoe said. And the Paris bid's assistant general manager, Essar Gabriel, denied that an event held on the Champs Elysees on Sunday was triumphalist. "The idea was to put forward what the 28 sports were about, of the Olympic programme," he said, "and it was clearly an expression of our love of the Games, our love of sports in general." Madrid Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon believes the Spanish capital is now in pole position to win the vote. The report praised Madrid's bid to host a "humanist, sustainable and environmentally friendly Games", while expressing concern about the lack of hotel rooms close to the venues. "We are totally convinced that today we are top-ranked of all the cities bidding for the Games," said Ruiz-Gallardon. "Our only regret is that the commission didn't give points rankings to each city as they did last time as we believe we would have come top. According to an independent IOC poll, Madrid has a public approval rating of 91 per cent among its citizens -- better than the other four cities. Paris The French capital's status as favourite has been reinforced after its bid received the most overtly glowing assessment. A reference to "the long-standing relationship between Olympism and France" sets the tone, with the IOC inspectors finding almost nothing to complain about. The bid's financial, marketing, security, environmental and Paralympic plans all tick the required boxes, as does Paris' experience of hosting major sporting events. The report says an "athlete-centred" Games would provide a significant legacy for the city, and plans for an Olympic village mid-way between two venue clusters win approval. Inspectors also note that Paris meets the IOC's desire to maximise use of existing facilities and temporary venues, and there is lavish praise for its transport system and "excellent" accommodation proposal. The only negatives are the distance between the Olympic village and the rowing venue, and the possibility of a railway line near the village causing noise and security problems. Paris hosted the Olympics before in 1900 and 1924. London London's assessment is a vast improvement on last year, when it ranked third behind Paris and Madrid. Its candidate file is described as "of a very high quality", and the fact that athletes had direct input into venue and Olympic village planning is noted. Inspectors say London's plans would be the catalyst for regeneration in the east of the city, with "significant sports and environmental legacies". There is the warning, however, that careful planning would be needed to complete all facilities on time. London's budget, accommodation, security and Paralympic plans stand up to scrutiny, and there is the crucial statement that transport demands could be met. Again, though, there is the proviso that the planned programme of public transport improvements would have to be "fully delivered" for this to be possible. On the negative side, London's public approval rating of 68 per cent is better only than New York's, although levels of political support were praised. Levels of ozone pollution are mentioned, and the location of the disco within the athletes' village is also a talking point. London hosted the Olympics before in 1908 and 1948. New York The Big Apple does well in several key areas, like budget, marketing, security, accommodation and its ability to build the required venues. Inspectors also say the Olympics would regenerate riverfront areas and leave an environmental legacy. But a string of issues, some minor and some pretty crucial, mean New York's bid team will have to do some fast talking to win over IOC members. The key concern is the planned Olympic Stadium, which has still not been given the go- ahead. There are also concerns that delays in obtaining the land for the athletes' village site could "impact on construction schedules". New York's 59 per cent public approval rating is the lowest of the lot, and there is even a mention of high ozone levels and the USA's failure to ratify the Kyoto Protocol global environmental treaty. Travel times to some venues are questioned, along with plans for shared use of the track cycling venue with badminton, and temporary venues for modern pentathlon and aquatics. USA hosted the Olympics before in 1904 in St Louis; in 1932 and 1984 in LA; and in 1996 in Atlanta. Madrid The Spanish capital gets a solid assessment, with its public approval rating of 91 per cent the highest of all. It is noted that 83 per cent of venues required are in place or in the pipeline, and the location of the athletes' village wins praise. Madrid's transport system, plans for an environmentally friendly Games and legacy for the future are also plusses. It has "good experience" of hosting major sporting events, and its plans for the Paralympics are "well integrated". But the city is told it will have to revise its Olympic village design to meet IOC requirements. And the inspectors note that hotels within an hour's journey time of the city would be needed to meet Olympic demands. Spain hosted the Olympics in Barcelona in 1992. Moscow Outsider Moscow gets the weakest assessment, with concerns about a lack of detailed plans in a number of areas. The Russian capital's support rating of 77 per cent is better than London and New York's, and 79 per cent of venues are in place. Inspectors also noted that all venues were well served by public transport and that Russia had good experience of hosting sporting events. But they said Moscow had failed to provide a detailed construction schedule for its venues. There were also security concerns around the athletes' village, and a question mark over the quality of hotels. Air pollution levels and the high amount of rainfall in July were other negatives. Moscow hosted it in 1980.
