http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml;sessionid=EXT0SZAM4C1QNQFIQMFCM5OAVCBQYJVC?xml=/sport/2005/02/20/soolym120.xml&sSheet=/sport/2005/02/20/ixsport.html&secureRefresh=true&_requestid=21181
By Simon Hart (Filed: 20/02/2005) In pictures: A vision of London for 2012 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/core/Slideshow/slideshowFramesetFrag.jhtml;$sessionid$H23FAALBXIS3HQFIPAFSM5A?xml=/sport/gallery/olympics/2012/upix2012.xml&site=Sport In pics: Capital welcomes IOC http://www.telegraph.co.uk/core/Slideshow/slideshowFramesetFrag.jhtml;$sessionid$H23FAALBXIS3HQFIPAFSM5A?xml=/sport/gallery/olympics/2012a/upix2012.xml&site=Sport London's bid to stage the 2012 Olympics received a significant boost last night when Nawal El Moutawakel, chairwoman of the visiting International Olympic Committee evaluation commission, went out of her way to praise the passion and enthusiasm of London officials during the inspection team's four-day stay in the capital. "We could feel it, hear it and see it," said the Moroccan former Olympic hurdles champion. "They all spoke with passion. It was in every speech and every word." While the commission members were careful not to be drawn on the technical merits of the bid before their visits to the three remaining candidate cities - New York, Paris and Moscow - she was surprisingly forthright in her support for the professionalism of the London campaign. "The commission has been very impressed by the level of involvement by a number of distinguished athletes in London, people like Tanni [Grey-Thompson], Daley Thompson and Bobby Charlton," she said. "The list is long and all these athletes have been consulted and are very heavily involved in the planning of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. "We have had a very productive visit and would like to thank the bid committee for their hard work and their passion in organising our visit. "The bid committee must also be congratulated on the quality of the candidature, the quality of the presentations and the professionalism with which the whole project has been handled and the leadership of a great Olympian and good friend, Sebastian Coe." Traditionally, visiting evaluation commissions rarely depart from their non-committal script, but it was significant that El Moutawakel also singled out the backing from the Queen, whose commitment to the cause had been questioned after she reportedly told a member of the public that she expected Paris to win the 2012 vote. "We have been very, very pleased to meet with the Queen, who expressed her full support for the bid," she said. Her remarks will be welcomed by the London team, who have been genuinely upbeat about the feedback they have received over the past few days. Although the commission's true thoughts will not be revealed until they publish their report a month before the all-important IOC vote on July 6, they are relieved to have avoided any serious mishaps during their 36 presentations on 17 key themes and 18 venue visits. Even Ken Livingstone's headline-grabbing refusal to apologise for causing offence to a Jewish reporter failed to sour the mood and El Moutawakel confirmed yesterday that it would have no impact on the technical report. Although a positive report may not be enough to secure the Games when the IOC members vote, a poor one can certainly be terminal. "This week we could have lost it, or we could still be there for the final run," said Richard Caborn, the Minister for Sport. "We have definitely not lost it. We are definitely there for that final push. I have got to say that the people who have been involved in the preparation for this and who have done all the technical back-up could not have done anything better. "Talking to the IOC members, they are very, very impressed indeed by what they have seen and by the degree of detail. The detail we have given out has been second to none. We are very proud of all the people who have represented the bid. They could have done no more." London bid chairman Lord Coe, described twice as a "friend" by El Moutawakel - they both won gold medals at the Los Angeles Games in 1984 and both serve on the council of the International Association of Athletics Federations - was also happy with his team's performance. He said: "It is entirely a matter for the evaluation commission to decide what observations they want to make but, from our point of view, I think we have done everything that was humanly possible to show to very best effect this city, its people, the concept, the legacy and its deliverability." While much of the effort has been directed towards supplying the commission with highly detailed technical data and answering searching questions, it is clear that the less tangible passion to which El Moutawakel referred has become one of the driving forces behind the bid. Time and time again, London campaigners have pointed to the one thing they believe gives the capital an advantage over the other four candidate cities - the sheer enthusiasm of the British public for sport. Dame Kelly Holmes set the ball rolling on Wednesday, reminding delegates about the size of the British support in Athens that helped carry her to her two gold medals. "There were 20,000 spectators who travelled to Athens, and that was probably limited to that number only by the number of tickets available," she said. "We had the most fans of any visiting country, second only to the Greeks. "It was an amazing response from our British public and I know that, if we held the Olympic Games, every stadium would be sold out, no matter what the sport, with great, passionate support." Cherie Blair, who led Friday's presentation on legal issues, also took up the baton, claiming that "what we can bring, more than anything else, is a real passion". For an organisation that still has fond memories of the exuberance of the crowds in Sydney five years ago the prospect of packed and noisy Olympic venues in London could well prove avote-winner when the IOC cast their votes. ENDS
