Paris fears favourite role
2005-02-07 22:13
London - Paris keeps hearing it over and over again: The French capital is the big favorite to land the 2012 Olympics.
Ca suffit! Enough already.
With the high-profile race now in the key evaluation phase five months before the vote, Paris officials are wary of being portrayed as untouchable front-runners.
"This is something I've been hearing for a long time," bid leader Philippe Baudillon said. "I don't believe in favourites. It's really a competition. We have to work very hard to get the Games."
Paris is competing against London, New York, Moscow and Madrid in the most glamorous host-city contest in Olympic history. The International Olympic Committee will select the winner on July 6 in Singapore.
Ever since the five finalists were picked last spring, Paris has been considered the city to beat.
Among the reasons: Paris has paid its dues after losing bids for the 1992 and 2008 games; France successfully hosted the 1998 World Cup; Paris staged the 2003 track and field world championships; the City of Light offers all the attractions of one of the world's favourite tourist destinations.
But Paris is reluctant to shoulder the No 1 contender tag, mindful that previous favourites have lost. Rome was beaten by Athens in the vote for the 2004 Games.
"I don't believe in a lot of these things," Baudillon said in a telephone interview. "We have five major cities. If all the five cities are here, they are not here for nothing. They are here to be the best."
British bookmakers think Paris is set apart. William Hill lists Paris as the odds-on favourite at 2-9, followed by London at 7-2, Madrid 14-1, New York 16-1 and Moscow 50-1.
"We see no sign of a drop in enthusiasm for Paris," Hill spokesperson Graham Sharpe said. "There is no indication of strong support for the London bid."
Speculation about the race has escalated since the IOC evaluation commission began its month-long inspection tour of the five bid cities.
Madrid was the first stop last week. The panel will next visit London from February 16-19, followed by New York (February 21-24), Paris (March 9-12) and Moscow (March 14-17).
Baudillon, who competed as a hurdler in his youth, says he doesn't pay attention to what his competitors are doing.
"When you try to check what happens around you, you can't be the best," he said. "It's the IOC to choose and not anybody else. The IOC will decide on the best technical bid. We want to be the best technical bid."
In Britain, where the media has built up the race into a Paris-vs-London battle, a series of incidents seemed to strengthen the French city's status.
Queen Elizabeth II was quoted as saying she thought Paris would win because of greater French support. A Sunday newspaper said the London candidacy was in "tatters" and bid officials had all but given up hope of beating Paris.
- AP