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Congrats to them for winning the rights to host 2012 Olympics (Summer)!
this will be their 3rd time to host the summer ones ^^
Crowds in London's Trafalgar Square went wild, shouting and waving flags in celebration.
As predicted by Rogge earlier in the week, it came down to the wire. London beat Paris by four votes, 54 to 50, in the final round.
"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."
"This is a truly fantastic day for east and southeast London," said Robin Wales, mayor of the east London borough of Newham, where much of the Olympics will be held. "It is a massive opportunity and also a big responsibility."
Still, it was a surprising announcement.
London was considered a serious contender for the 2012 Games, but many Olympic observers didn't expect the city to upset Paris – the longtime front-runner – for the honour.
"We are very, very disappointed but it was a very good competition," said Paris bid leader Philippe Baudillon.
"We thought we could win but obviously we did not. Ah well, that's life."
The race eventually came down to a choice between Paris or London after Moscow was eliminated in the first round and then New York and Madrid in subsequent ballots.
This is the third time London will be hosting the world's biggest sporting event, but the first since 1948.
The 2012 Summer Games follow the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C.
"From one Olympic city to another, we salute London. The years of hard work, dedication and planning on behalf of the London bid team have resulted in a fantastic choice for the 2012 Summer Games," said John Furlong, CEO of the Vancouver organizing committee, in a statement.
"London is one of the world's great cities and will be a spectacular host for the Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games."
It was the fourth Olympic bid from Britain after failed attempts by Birmingham for the 1992 Olympics and Manchester in 1996 and 2000.
One of the most attractive components to its bid was the revitalization and redevelopment of London's east end. In the lead-up to the final vote, Prime Minister Tony Blair said the Olympics would leave a lasting legacy on the city and the country.
Unlike Paris, London doesn't have many Olympic-ready facilities.
One of the strongest components of Paris' bid was most of the infrastructure and sporting venues is already in place. Its main venue – the Stade de France – is already built and hosted the 1998 World Cup of Soccer.
Aiming for the Olympics for the third time in 20 years, Paris was considered one of the safest and best bets heading into Wednesday's voting.
In its evaluation report, the IOC gave Paris glowing reviews in following a blueprint to deliver the Games at a reduced size and cost.
In Paris, the announcement was met by stunned silence. A crowd of thousands gathered in front of City Hall in Paris for an expected celebration but ended up just quietly watching scenes of joy in the British capital.
NBA star Tony Parker couldn't hide his disappointment.
The San Antonio Spurs guard said the vote proved the IOC has an Anglo-Saxon bias.
"It's been three times now that Paris has been refused – 1992, 2008 and 2012. I find that bizarre," said Parker. "We did everything we had to do. I don't know what more we could have done.
"It proves that the committee is Anglo-Saxon. They prefer the English."
French officials struggled to comprehend how it could lose after being in a position of strength.
"I am not disappointed personally, I am disappointed for the millions of people involved in sports education in France who were the target of our bid," said Henri Serandour, president of the French Olympic Committee.
Previous Summer/Winter Olympic Games
Olympic Summer Games:
Athens 1896
Paris 1900
St. Louis 1904
London 1908
Stockholm 1912
Antwerp 1920
Paris 1924
Amsterdam 1928
Los Angeles 1932
Berlin 1936
London 1948
Helsinki 1952
Melbourne 1956
Rome 1960
Tokyo 1964
Mexico City 1968
Munich 1972
Montreal 1976
Moscow 1980
Los Angeles 1984
Seoul 1988
Barcelona 1992
Atlanta 1996
Sydney 2000
Athens 2004
Olympic Winter Games:
Chamonix 1924
St. Moritz 1928
Lake Placid 1932
Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936
St. Moritz 1948
Oslo 1952
Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956
Squaw Valley 1960
Innsbruck 1964
Grenoble 1968
Sapporo 1972
Innsbruck 1976
Lake Placid 1980
Sarajevo 1984
Calgary 1988 *Canadian, First Time!*
Albertville 1992
Lillehammer 1994
Nagano 1998
Salt Lake City 2002
Future Summer>Winter Olympic Games
Torino 2006 (Winter)
Beijing 2008 (Summer)
Vancouver 2010 (Winter) *Congrats Canada For second Olympic Games!*
London 2012 (Summer) *3rd time! they must be good!*
2006 OLYMPIC GAMES IN TORINO
Meet Neve and Gliz!(Mascots)
"Neve": she is a gentle, kind and elegant snowball; "Gliz": he is a lively, playful ice cube. They are the two symbolic characters of the XX Olympic Winter Games. They complement each other and personify the very essence of winter sports.
The mascots were born from the pencil of Pedro Albuquerque, a 38-year old Portuguese designer who won the international competition launched by the Organising Committee for the Olympic Games in Turin (TOROC) on 25 March 2003. He was inspired by his passion for water and the incredible shapes this element takes on when it is transformed into snow or ice; by his research into the Italian spirit and the places hosting the Olympic Games; by the Olympic values; and by the technical characteristics of the various sporting disciplines of the Games.
"Neve" and "Gliz" reflect the spirit of the Italian Olympic event: passion, enthusiasm, culture, elegance, and love of the environment and of sport. They are the symbol of a young generation that is full of life and energy.
and to watch these new mascots for 2006 go to (its at the top with the mascots)
http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/torino/index_uk.asp
Enjoy! more to come after 2006 winter games about 2008 in Beijing!
this will be their 3rd time to host the summer ones ^^
Crowds in London's Trafalgar Square went wild, shouting and waving flags in celebration.
As predicted by Rogge earlier in the week, it came down to the wire. London beat Paris by four votes, 54 to 50, in the final round.
"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."
"This is a truly fantastic day for east and southeast London," said Robin Wales, mayor of the east London borough of Newham, where much of the Olympics will be held. "It is a massive opportunity and also a big responsibility."
Still, it was a surprising announcement.
London was considered a serious contender for the 2012 Games, but many Olympic observers didn't expect the city to upset Paris – the longtime front-runner – for the honour.
"We are very, very disappointed but it was a very good competition," said Paris bid leader Philippe Baudillon.
"We thought we could win but obviously we did not. Ah well, that's life."
The race eventually came down to a choice between Paris or London after Moscow was eliminated in the first round and then New York and Madrid in subsequent ballots.
This is the third time London will be hosting the world's biggest sporting event, but the first since 1948.
The 2012 Summer Games follow the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C.
"From one Olympic city to another, we salute London. The years of hard work, dedication and planning on behalf of the London bid team have resulted in a fantastic choice for the 2012 Summer Games," said John Furlong, CEO of the Vancouver organizing committee, in a statement.
"London is one of the world's great cities and will be a spectacular host for the Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games."
It was the fourth Olympic bid from Britain after failed attempts by Birmingham for the 1992 Olympics and Manchester in 1996 and 2000.
One of the most attractive components to its bid was the revitalization and redevelopment of London's east end. In the lead-up to the final vote, Prime Minister Tony Blair said the Olympics would leave a lasting legacy on the city and the country.
Unlike Paris, London doesn't have many Olympic-ready facilities.
One of the strongest components of Paris' bid was most of the infrastructure and sporting venues is already in place. Its main venue – the Stade de France – is already built and hosted the 1998 World Cup of Soccer.
Aiming for the Olympics for the third time in 20 years, Paris was considered one of the safest and best bets heading into Wednesday's voting.
In its evaluation report, the IOC gave Paris glowing reviews in following a blueprint to deliver the Games at a reduced size and cost.
In Paris, the announcement was met by stunned silence. A crowd of thousands gathered in front of City Hall in Paris for an expected celebration but ended up just quietly watching scenes of joy in the British capital.
NBA star Tony Parker couldn't hide his disappointment.
The San Antonio Spurs guard said the vote proved the IOC has an Anglo-Saxon bias.
"It's been three times now that Paris has been refused – 1992, 2008 and 2012. I find that bizarre," said Parker. "We did everything we had to do. I don't know what more we could have done.
"It proves that the committee is Anglo-Saxon. They prefer the English."
French officials struggled to comprehend how it could lose after being in a position of strength.
"I am not disappointed personally, I am disappointed for the millions of people involved in sports education in France who were the target of our bid," said Henri Serandour, president of the French Olympic Committee.
Previous Summer/Winter Olympic Games
Olympic Summer Games:
Athens 1896
Paris 1900
St. Louis 1904
London 1908
Stockholm 1912
Antwerp 1920
Paris 1924
Amsterdam 1928
Los Angeles 1932
Berlin 1936
London 1948
Helsinki 1952
Melbourne 1956
Rome 1960
Tokyo 1964
Mexico City 1968
Munich 1972
Montreal 1976
Moscow 1980
Los Angeles 1984
Seoul 1988
Barcelona 1992
Atlanta 1996
Sydney 2000
Athens 2004
Olympic Winter Games:
Chamonix 1924
St. Moritz 1928
Lake Placid 1932
Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936
St. Moritz 1948
Oslo 1952
Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956
Squaw Valley 1960
Innsbruck 1964
Grenoble 1968
Sapporo 1972
Innsbruck 1976
Lake Placid 1980
Sarajevo 1984
Calgary 1988 *Canadian, First Time!*
Albertville 1992
Lillehammer 1994
Nagano 1998
Salt Lake City 2002
Future Summer>Winter Olympic Games
Torino 2006 (Winter)
Beijing 2008 (Summer)
Vancouver 2010 (Winter) *Congrats Canada For second Olympic Games!*
London 2012 (Summer) *3rd time! they must be good!*
2006 OLYMPIC GAMES IN TORINO
Meet Neve and Gliz!(Mascots)
"Neve": she is a gentle, kind and elegant snowball; "Gliz": he is a lively, playful ice cube. They are the two symbolic characters of the XX Olympic Winter Games. They complement each other and personify the very essence of winter sports.
The mascots were born from the pencil of Pedro Albuquerque, a 38-year old Portuguese designer who won the international competition launched by the Organising Committee for the Olympic Games in Turin (TOROC) on 25 March 2003. He was inspired by his passion for water and the incredible shapes this element takes on when it is transformed into snow or ice; by his research into the Italian spirit and the places hosting the Olympic Games; by the Olympic values; and by the technical characteristics of the various sporting disciplines of the Games.
"Neve" and "Gliz" reflect the spirit of the Italian Olympic event: passion, enthusiasm, culture, elegance, and love of the environment and of sport. They are the symbol of a young generation that is full of life and energy.
and to watch these new mascots for 2006 go to (its at the top with the mascots)
http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/torino/index_uk.asp
Enjoy! more to come after 2006 winter games about 2008 in Beijing!
Obviously not every french person is a stuck up snobby jackass, but every one I've ever met has been. (With the exception of one or two that were quite decent.) And they're a bunch of pansies.... I pray night and day that the US goes after France next and blows the hell out of them before we conquer N. Korea. Used to play CS years ago and my clan tag was [NukeTheFrenchPussies]. 