I agree. I admit that I am the biggest supporter of Paris, and there's NO other city which can ever replace it in my heart. I will be extremely sad (maybe burst into tears ) if Paris is defeated. But I must agree that Olympics in New York City wil be an awesome and extravagant sight too, with its concrete jungles and soaring skyscrapers. Wow! That's definitely breathtaking! I think I'm a lil' bit breathless now......

There's no way for Paris to get defeated. Maybe Paris can wait, but I can't! So, don't you dare curse my beloved Paris!

It's your fault then. It's all due to your CURSE !!!

Since you're such a loyal Christian who follows the true teachings of Christ, then I might forgive you this time lol......

According to the free online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, the International Olympic Committee will announce the host city of the 2012 Summer Olympics (the XXX Olympiad) on July 6, 2005 during its 117th Session in Singapore. The current progress of the bidding process is stated below:

1. Paris emerged as the general highest scoring candidate at 8.5, although it scored highest in only three categories: "Accommodation", "Safety and security", and "Experience from past sports events". However, the "Accommodation" category is one of the most important and Paris scored 10 in it. Bookmakers have listed Paris as their strong favourite to win the nomination. But their bid may be hampered by the fact that Paris has already held the Games twice, even though long ago (1900 Summer Olympics and 1924 Summer Olympics). If granted the XXX Olympiad, Paris will become the first city ever to host the Olympic Games for a third time.

2. Madrid ranked second with a general score of 8.3, ranking first in six categories: "Government support, legal issues and public opinion", "General infrastructure", "Sports venues", "Olympic Village", "Transport concept", and "Overall project and legacy". Some commentators have suggested their bid may be hampered by the fact that the Games were held in Spain as recently as 1992; although those Games were held in Barcelona and were praised by the IOC for their excellent organization, and by 2012 they will be twenty years behind [while Atlanta (1996) in the U.S.A. held the Games only twelve years after Los Angeles (1984), also in the U.S.A.].

3. London was ranked third on the list at 7.6. It scored poorly in the "Transport concept" and "Government support, legal issues and public opinion" categories, but it shared a 10 with Paris and New York in the important "Accommodation" category. Like Paris, their bid may be hampered by having already held the Games twice before (though not as a result of a bidding process in the 1908 Summer Olympics and 1948 Summer Olympics), so London could as well become the first city to host them for a third time in 2012. According to Queen Elizabeth II, there was "a lack of support" among Londoners for the Games, and she commented on the matter at the Buckingham Palace. This comment to a teenage volunteer worker Amran Hussain was published by The Sun, and was said to have "stuck the boot into London's bid", as she also boasted Paris' bid. There is a London-based campaign against the city hosting the games.

4. New York City scored fourth at 7.5, although it scored first in the "Accommodation" category, sharing a 10 with Paris and London. Their bid may be hampered by the fact that the 2010 Winter Olympics are being held in Vancouver, Canada, and organisers are believed to be eager to avoid having consecutive Olympics on the same continent (North America). Additionally, the Summer Olympics have been held in the United States as recently as 1996 (in Atlanta) and 1984 (in Los Angeles). However, of the five candidates, only New York City and Madrid have never hosted the Games before. Although New York City was at one time expected to benefit from sympathy arising from the September 11 terrorist attacks, this possible "advantage" is believed to have been countered by anti-Americanism caused by the 2003 Iraq war. Some believe that the building of the West Side Stadium is essential to getting the Olympics in New York City.

5. Moscow scored lowest of the selected candidates at 6.5. It did not score highest in any category and their bid may be further hampered by Moscow having already held the Games in 1980.

IOC members will now visit each city in turn during the early part of 2005. They will submit a report in May, which may result in the cutting of more candidates from the list. The final decision will be taken during the IOC Session in Singapore in July 2005. Shortlisted candidates have been granted the right to use the Olympic flame and Olympic rings imagery in their campaign literature.

-- Edited by europology at 16:02, 2005-02-13