Madrid, London, Paris, New York and Moscow are currently battling for the right to host the Olympic Games in 2012. Starting today and 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, as provided by the candidates themselves Rooney signs on MANCHESTER United and England star Wayne Rooney has become the latest big name to back London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games . The 19-year-old Young Player of the Year signed a London 2012 campaign flag to show his support for the UK's bid. "Having the Olympics in Britain would be great for getting kids involved in sport," Rooney said. "Seeing the world's best athletes in action would be really inspiring and anything which encourages children to be more active gets my support." Manchester United team-mates Phil Neville and Alan Smith also signed the flag. Stuart Kellett, regional director for Sport England North West, urged football fans from all over the country to get behind the London bid. "London's bid to host the Games is not just about bringing the world's greatest sporting event to the capital city," he said. "The real winners won't just be the sports stars, or even London -- the whole of the UK will benefit. "It's great to see some of Manchester United's biggest stars supporting the bid, especially as Old Trafford is set to host part of the Olympic football tournament if London wins the bid." Meanwhile British Prime Minister Tony Blair has reiterated his support for London's bid. The prime minister became the first person to add his signature to British Airways Boeing 747 that will transport the London bid team to Singapore, the venue for the crucial vote to decide which city will host the Games. London 2012 Premier Partner British Airways is aiming to collect 100,000 signatures of support for the capital's bid, all of which will be printed onto the aircraft to create a flying petition. A new survey shows soaring support for the Olympics . Seventy-nine per cent of Londoners support the capital's bid to host the Games -- the highest figure recorded since the bid campaign launched. The results of a new ICM poll show an increase in support of 12 per cent since October last year. Respondents cited increased tourism, employment and the boost to national pride as their main reasons for supporting the bid. The survey also revealed that 87 per cent of Londoners think the capital's mix of cultures, languages and ethnicities is a good thing. New in New York OLYMPIANS joined New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, city officials, and thousands of young athletes to celebrate the opening of a new 10,000-seat outdoor stadium on New York's Randall's Island. "Icahn Stadium will allow New York to once again host great international and national athletics championships, helping restore New York as America's capital for the sport of athletics," said New York Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Rebuilding and NYC2012 Founder Daniel Doctoroff. In 2012, Icahn Stadium will serve as an Olympic training site and Paralympic venue. But the area has a longer Olympic history. The venue stands on the site of the old Downing Stadium, which hosted the 1936 trials where Jesse Owens qualified for the Olympic team. Owens went on to win a historic four gold medals in Berlin. "Legends have run here," said NYC2012's Circle of Olympians member Justin Gatlin, the gold, silver and bronze medal winner in Athens. Gatlin ran a commemorative 100m lap on the new Mondo track. "Now you just build on top of that." Downing Stadium hosted Olympic trials, major national competitions, and local high school athletic meets that saw the rise of Olympians such as Jim Fuchs, Al Oerter, Bob Beamon, and Carl Lewis. Supporting stand MOSCOW's bid to host the 2012 Olympics is being boosted by a stand at the EXPO 2005 exhibition in Japan that offers visitors a "virtual reality" tour of the city and its tourist sites. Backed by $8.4 million from the Russian federal government, the stand at EXPO 2005 covers 1,296 metres and is open from 25 March to 25 September. One of its aims is to promote Moscow as the ideal location for big international events, including the 2012 Olympic Games. Among the other features that the exhibition highlights are the city's history that provides a unique backdrop to its modern infrastructure as well as its strength in science, universities, finance and investment, museums, theatres and art galleries. A large section of the stand demonstrates the capital's experience in organising major international events. These include the 1980 Olympic Games, the first World Youth Games, the Goodwill Games and youth and student festivals. China helps PARIS 2012 has announced that 19 Chinese celebrities have officially joined the "Club des ambassadeurs de Paris 2012", reinforcing the support that Paris has received in its bid to host the Olympic Games. The Chinese represent a broad range of interests and professions. The cultural world is represented by actress Xu Jing Lei, actor Geng Le, violinist Lin Zhao Yang, dancers Ho Hong Lan and Jing Xing, singers Ding Wei and Lin Yi Lun and director Jiang Wen. The fashion industry includes participation by top models Lu Yan and Hu Bing. The business community is well represented by Serge Dumont (Springford Investments), Alan Liu (Red Door Public Relations), Li Dong Sheng (TCL), Wang Yan (SINA.com), and Zhang Yue (Broad Air Conditioning). Media are equally involved through the support of Hong Huang (press group I Look), Su Mang (Bazaar Magazine), Daisy Wang (Communications Magazine) and Chen Yi (Economic Daily).
