SINGAPORE : London is still in the running for the 2012 Olympic
bid, says its High Commissioner to Singapore.
Mr Alan Collins says he was in London recently to be briefed on the
city's bid, which has seen renewed interest with half a million
people showing their support on-line.
He also dismissed a recent article in a UK newspaper saying the
team had abandoned its bid.
Five cities are bidding to host the 2012 Games, and the winner will
be decided in Singapore in July.
London hosted the Olympics in 1908 and 1948, and it is eager to
make it a hat-trick by bidding for the 2012 Games.
But recent reports in the UK have claimed the bid is losing steam
and lacks support from the British people.
British High Commissioner to Singapore Alan Collins said, "The
report is completely unfounded. The fact of the matter is the
London bid has tremendous support from the people of UK. The latest
news is that 500,000 people have signed on to the 2012 website to
register their very big support for the bid."
Ordinary folks aside, big names like David Beckham and even movie
stars have put their weight behind the British bid.
The morale and enthusiasm is also high as London gets ready to host
the IOC Evaluation Committee next week.
Mr Collins said, "More than 60 percent of those venues already
exist and some of them are the great sporting icons that would be
well known in Singapore. We will be showing them Wembley stadium
for football, we will be showing them Wimbeldon for tennis and the
Millennium Dome where the gymnastics would take place."
Venues aside, the transport system - criticised as obsolete - is
also being improved.
And while London might not be the front-runner in popularity polls,
Mr Collins says the race for the bid is not a sprint but rather a
marathon.
The British community in Singapore started showing their support as
early as last November, in a ceremony at Eden Hall complete with
fireworks and attended by Prince Andrew, the Duke of York.
Mr Collins said, "The British community have a number of events in
mind. I think the plans for those are not finalised yet but they
would be looking for ways to show that they can support the
bid."
IOC rules stipulate that all publicity has to stop by June.
And London together with the other bid cities - Paris, Moscow,
Madrid and New York - would have their fate decided on July 6 when
Singapore hosts the IOC Session where the host city for the 2012
Games will be announced. - CNA