12/21/24
July 06, 2005
London calling: : the IOC selects London as the host city for the 2012 Olympic Summer Games.
(Linked article also provides links to the candidate cities' presentations, and -- one of my favorite Eurosport features -- live comments of the balloting.)
posted by lil_brown_bat to other at 07:04 AM - 22 comments
Has there been any explanation of why yet?
posted by tieguy at 08:39 AM on July 06, 2005
Why he eats frogs?
posted by JJ at 08:43 AM on July 06, 2005
It can't be the food. But this is a surprise - I thought Paris had this one cold, with London and New York battling it out for runner up. Oh god, how will the London transit system cope? I know about the new rail line at Kings Cross - but what about the tube, man? Too slow.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 08:44 AM on July 06, 2005
Bangers and mash all around! What the hell are "bangers and mash", anyway?
posted by wfrazerjr at 08:52 AM on July 06, 2005
What the hell are "bangers and mash", anyway? Sausages with bone chips and mashed potatoes. They're somewhere on the top 50 list of oddly compelling foodstuffs. As for the explanation of why, tieguy, olympics.org has the "full story" which of course isn't the full story. It talks about why London (which, to be honest, sounds like it was cribbed from the London bid), but not why not anywhere else. Paris was thought to be the favorite, but apparently London came on strong in recent weeks, and I think they really emphasized "friendliness" and capitalized on the French reputation for aloofness.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 08:57 AM on July 06, 2005
I like bangers and mash...it's that nauseating haggis the Scots eat that turns my stomach. Freedom Fries all around!
posted by Texan_lost_in_NY at 09:46 AM on July 06, 2005
According to some reports, Madrid and London struck a deal. If either of them were to lose out before the final ballot, they would request their support be thrown in for the other one. When Madrid got knocked out in the penultimate vote, their support went to London and that was enough to propel them ahead of Paris.
posted by grum@work at 10:12 AM on July 06, 2005
What are "bone chips"? Bangers are sausages. Mash is mashed potato. Bangers and Mash is sausages and mashed potato. (Add some "red onion gravy and petit pois" and you've got yourself a bona fide restaurant dish). Haggis isn't so bad, as long as you have plenty of neeps and tatties to go with it and you don't think too much about where it has come from. In fact, it can be quite tasty, and I'm sure there's nothing more disgusting in haggis than there is in a banger. Why London not Paris? I could make more jokes about eating gross foods, but instead I'll offer the notion I've had all along that the Paris bid being based on existing facilities was never the advantage the press seemed to think it was - I reckon a lot of the IOC members see the Olympics as a way to regenerate an area, and from what I can gather, the London plan to do that was better than any of the others. And we got David Beckham to go to Singapore, even though he will never appear in an Olympic games.
posted by JJ at 10:15 AM on July 06, 2005
Stop you are making me hungry!
posted by daddisamm at 10:28 AM on July 06, 2005
Are you inferring that David Beckham is tasty?
posted by JJ at 10:46 AM on July 06, 2005
I reckon a lot of the IOC members see the Olympics as a way to regenerate an area How many times does that notion have to be disproved before governments stop wasting money building stadiums?
posted by dusted at 11:09 AM on July 06, 2005
Greeeat. let's all go stand out in the rain to acclimate ourselves. First city to host 3 times. Good for them. Can't help but conjur images of Monty Python skits in the opening ceremonies...
posted by smithnyiu at 11:20 AM on July 06, 2005
Great news for London and the South East! Terrible news for the rest of us mugs who'll have to subsidise them as usual.
posted by squealy at 12:47 PM on July 06, 2005
Congrats London and all you Brit SpoFites! JJ! Do you smell a tie-in? Time to play hardball with the Guardian!
posted by worldcup2002 at 02:23 PM on July 06, 2005
good luck to them. The UK seems to be experts at cost overruns on mega building projects. Millennium Dome - original estimated cost £399m. Final cost was £801m. Holyrood, the Scottish Parliament buildings - original estimated cost £40m. Final cost was £431m (YOWZA! approaching 1000% over budget!) The New Wembley - original estimated cost £326.5m. Final cost is estimated at £757 m. I look forward to seeing how London puts on an Olympics but I'm glad I won't be paying the bills.
posted by gspm at 03:06 PM on July 06, 2005
Beckham's agents are campaining for a new men's event for the London Games: most hairstyle changes in a fortnight. The guy's an amazing player but every time I see him on TV his head is different! And all I can say is thanks for taking the load London. When this round was starting San Francisco was one of the finalists for the American bid and the plan was to build an Olympic village about two miles from my house--you cannot tell me that wouldn't have sucked!
posted by billsaysthis at 03:31 PM on July 06, 2005
Man, I would have given anything to be there in paris when they read the ballot, as all those condescending cheese-eating surrender monkeys screamed "sacre bleu" and wept openly...
posted by smithnyiu at 05:22 PM on July 06, 2005
Beach volleyball on the Horse Guards Parade? We're a long way from Bondi Beach, Toto...
posted by owlhouse at 05:57 PM on July 06, 2005
Dan Patrick speculated on his radio show today that Chirac's dis of Finnish food may have swayed the votes of the two Fins on the IOC voting committee.
posted by Ufez Jones at 06:01 PM on July 06, 2005
I can only imagine what security would have been like had the games been held in Paris. Terrorists probably would have had to outwit several packs of scouts patroling the grounds. Outside of a group of cyclists, who needs France anyways. Way to go, London.
posted by dyams at 08:30 PM on July 06, 2005
Hours after my previous comment, as usual after I open my big freakin' mouth, London is hit hard, apparently by terrorists. I'll shutup now.
posted by dyams at 06:51 AM on July 07, 2005
Get in! Take that, Chirac, you frog-eating nonse!