Queen to host IOC delegation

2005-02-09 22:15

London - Queen Elizabeth II will host the International Olympic Committee delegation during next week's inspection visit of London's 2012 Olympic bid.

The queen and her husband, Prince Philip, will host a dinner on February 18.

Princess Anne, an IOC member, will also be present, Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Wednesday.

The dinner will be an opportunity for the queen to show her support for London's bid after last month's widespread publication of reported remarks she made favouring Paris' bid.

The queen allegedly told a student at a Buckingham Palace reception in December that Paris had a better chance of winning than London because it had better public support.

London is the second city to be visited by the IOC - and the second to have a royal reception.

King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain hosted a reception for the IOC during the Madrid visit last week.

The IOC's evaluation commission will visit February 16-19 before visiting the other candidate cities of New York, Paris and Moscow.

The vote for the 2012 Olympics is made on July 6 in Singapore.

- AP