Interestingly, Londoners (and the UK citizens in general) appeared to be among the least supportive of their city's bid. (Second only to NYers.)

CNNSI has a table of the voting: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/olympics/07/06/2012.oly.ap/index.html?cnn=yes

Support for Madrid bumped up most when Moscow dropped out. The sixteen remaining votes for New York went decisively for London in the second round, and in the last round Madrid's votes were split between London and Paris. So New York didn't get the 2012 Olympics, but its supporters decided who did.

And now according to the Times (www.timesonline.co.uk) we learn that both the Finnish delegates switched to London. Egon Ronay was right on. But the funniest part of the Guardian article was learning that the former defence secretary and NATO head George Robertson had once made Chirac eat HAGGIS!!!! No wonder Chirac has a chip on his shoulder about British food. He was practically set up.

Interesting that the Senegalese, Francophone, Paris-educated head of the IAAF switched to London as well. The Times suggests the guy probably figured that having already been stood up by London once (backing out of hosting the IAAF World Championships for 2005) this was the only way they were going to get a first class track-and-field stadium in the UK.

All round, a great day.

I want to add a completely parochial comment. The Olympic events I care most about are the distance races, and every four years it seems the Summer Games winds up in a city where the 10K and marathon have to be contested in blazing heat. Athens put on a great Games in most respects, but running a marathon in the 90s is just an abuse of the athletes. I thought last summer that maybe the thing to do was move the marathon to the Winter Games.

But London at least is far enough north that heat should not be the problem it has often been in the past. So from my point of view this is a great choice.

Zathras -- London should be several degrees cooler than Athens. There is a good logistical reason not to move the Marathon -- several countries whose contestants would be in the Marathon sometimes don't even participate in the Winter Olympics.

Haggis isn't really English food -- its Scottish. But I have to agree with Chirac for once - English food is awful. its no wonder that Indian food has overtaken Fish and Chips in popularity in British Pubs.

What's wrong with fish 'n' chips?

Philistine,

Given that the vote was 54-50 and 2 Finnish vote's switched - it's not innacurate to say that Chirac's big mouth 'finnished' off the Paris bid.

I personally favored Paris by a hair but either city will hold a fantastic Olympics. As will New York if it can get it's bidding act together for the 2016 bid. Paris will probably have to wait for the 2024 Olympics - if Chirac has left office by then of course. The man is just full of frustration. Time to retire, Jacques. Follow DeGaulle's example and let another man have a go....