Felix the Cat
12-23-2005, 12:01 PM
London Olympics 'a mistake' (http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17649352-2,00.html)
A LEADING official from the International Olympic Committee has suggested London only won the bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games because a member pressed the wrong button at the secret Singapore ballot last July.
The blunder meant that Paris, rather than Madrid, went through to the final round against London, when the Spanish capital had been widely recognised as the greatest one-on-one threat to the now 2012 host city.
The Times in London reports today that Lambis Nikolaou, of Greece, is widley thought to be the offending button pusher.
Influential Israeli IOC member Alex Gilady has also told the BBC he believes the mistake helped London secure the Games, which it won in the voting 54-50 against Paris.
"The way the vote went was that after the first round Moscow was out, after the second round New York was out and then came the third round. London was ahead but Paris and Madrid had 33 to 31 in the votes," Mr Gilady told BBC News 24 in a report to be screened in the UK this weekend.
"What we think now happened (was) that one member made a mistake and voted for Paris rather than Madrid, because if he would vote for Madrid it would be 32-32 (and) we have to have a vote-off.
"In the vote-off, all the votes supporting London would go to Madrid because the fear was that Paris had a big chance to win. Madrid would then have won against Paris."
The IOC has given no official confirmation of the extraordinary claim, although admits Mr Nikolaou had caused some voting dramas on the fateful night.
Mr Nikolaou, president of the Greek Olympic Committee, complained after the third round that he had not had sufficient time to register his choice, but IOC president Jacques Rogge dismissed it saying he had been granted the minute allowed. Mr Nikolaou but he hasn't commented on any allegation he voted for the wrong city, by mistake or otherwise.
A spokeswoman for London 2012 yesterday told The Times: "There are a lot of folklore stories about who voted for whom. At the end of the day, it was a secret ballot. This is the opinion of one individual. "The result is what matters and we are not going to be drawn into speculation."
A LEADING official from the International Olympic Committee has suggested London only won the bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games because a member pressed the wrong button at the secret Singapore ballot last July.
The blunder meant that Paris, rather than Madrid, went through to the final round against London, when the Spanish capital had been widely recognised as the greatest one-on-one threat to the now 2012 host city.
The Times in London reports today that Lambis Nikolaou, of Greece, is widley thought to be the offending button pusher.
Influential Israeli IOC member Alex Gilady has also told the BBC he believes the mistake helped London secure the Games, which it won in the voting 54-50 against Paris.
"The way the vote went was that after the first round Moscow was out, after the second round New York was out and then came the third round. London was ahead but Paris and Madrid had 33 to 31 in the votes," Mr Gilady told BBC News 24 in a report to be screened in the UK this weekend.
"What we think now happened (was) that one member made a mistake and voted for Paris rather than Madrid, because if he would vote for Madrid it would be 32-32 (and) we have to have a vote-off.
"In the vote-off, all the votes supporting London would go to Madrid because the fear was that Paris had a big chance to win. Madrid would then have won against Paris."
The IOC has given no official confirmation of the extraordinary claim, although admits Mr Nikolaou had caused some voting dramas on the fateful night.
Mr Nikolaou, president of the Greek Olympic Committee, complained after the third round that he had not had sufficient time to register his choice, but IOC president Jacques Rogge dismissed it saying he had been granted the minute allowed. Mr Nikolaou but he hasn't commented on any allegation he voted for the wrong city, by mistake or otherwise.
A spokeswoman for London 2012 yesterday told The Times: "There are a lot of folklore stories about who voted for whom. At the end of the day, it was a secret ballot. This is the opinion of one individual. "The result is what matters and we are not going to be drawn into speculation."