London Wins Bid for 2012 Olympics

London staged a come from behind victory over front-runner Paris in the competition to host the 2012 Olympic Games. Prime Minister Tony Blair and former Olympian Sebastian Coe led the British delegation:

"It's just the most fantastic opportunity to do everything we ever dreamed of in British sport. This was the most splendid team performance," bid leader and former twice Olympic champion Sebastian Coe said on Wednesday.
"We are taking home the biggest prize in sport."

The IOC had whittled the field down from five cities to two:

Moscow was eliminated in the first round of voting, New York in the second and Madrid in the third.
Earlier the five cities all had their hour in the spotlight before the IOC session.
London and Paris both sent their political heavyweights to Singapore to help turn the vote in their favor.