SINGAPORE -- London's winning bid for the 2012 Olympics at the 117th Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Singapore came as a surprise July 6. The IOC voted 54-50 for London after Madrid, New York and Moscow were eliminated in the earlier rounds. French newspapers were already reporting Paris' victory as a fait accompli. So what lessons can be learned from the London and Paris bids?
The results from each of the four rounds of voting showed that London systematically stayed ahead of Paris even though bookmakers and the OIC Technical Evaluation Team gave Paris higher marks. In fact, the Team's report on Paris was "unblemished" amid lingering doubts about London's transportation dossier.
Last-ditch efforts by both cities convinced the 104 IOC members to close the deal with London. Three points were probably decisive in the final outcome: