Olympics: Did London win or Paris lose in bidding for 2012 Games?

SINGAPORE - London's surprised elation at winning the 2012 Olympics and Paris' stunned silence were a marked contrast which left open the question: did London win or did strong favourites Paris lose?

The arguments following International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge's announcement that London had won the IOC vote were still reverberating around the IOC session yesterday. Paris had come to Singapore as odds-on favourites to win the Olympics at their third attempt in 20 years. Even British bid officials were admitting at London's victory party that they thought Rogge would be reading out the name of the French capital.

London won the final vote instead by a mere four votes, 54-50.

IOC members pointed to British Prime Minister Tony Blair's charm offensive for two days in Singapore just before the vote and bid leader Sebastian Coe's polished and passionate presentation as two vital factors in London's triumph.

But as many were pondering how Paris contrived to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and many criticised what they perceived as French paralysis in Singapore with little or no lobbying of members and an uninspired presentation to the IOC.

Henri Serandour, the French Olympic chief, took personal responsibility. "Maybe I was a little too easy-going," he said. "Maybe we need a new generation of leaders who will take a stronger line."

National stereotypes appeared to have gone into reverse in Singapore, with the British bid team pitching aggressively and the French responding phlegmatically.

When two London bid delegates criticised the Paris showpiece stadium, Le Stade de France, as not ideal for athletics, they seemed to be straying dangerously close to the edge of IOC guidelines which demand that other teams' bids and facilities should not be the target of attacks.

But Paris gave a Gallic shrug, filed no complaint and the IOC were given no reason to do anything except look the other way.

French President Jacques Chirac breezed into Singapore to play a major role in the Paris presentation but, almost loftily, declined to imitate Blair and sought no one-on-one meetings with voting members.

- REUTERS