Paris favourites for 2012 Games

Paris is most likely to be the venue of the 2012 Summer Olympic games, according to a Reuters survey of 32 sports journalists in over 20 countries.

The French capital was picked by 18 of the respondents as most likely to beat competition from New York, London, Madrid and Moscow when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) make the decision on July 6.

"France has been hosting many successful events in recent years -- the (soccer) World Cup in 1998 and the world championships in athletics in 2003," said Jens Littorin at Dagens Nyheter in Stockholm.

"They have a good bid and from a security point of view it might be the best choice."

Paris previously hosted the Summer Games in 1900 and 1924 and on the latter occasion just 44 countries sent athletes. That compares to the 202 nations represented in Athens this year.

"Historically it's simply the right time for Paris to host the Olympics after 80 years out in the cold," said Roger Crutchley at the Bangkok Post.

The city's strengths include a good transport network and plenty of accommodation. It also has many of the necessary sports facilities in place already.

RESILIENT CITY

Others argued, however, that after Australia in 2000, Europe in 2004 and Asia in 2008, when Beijing is due to stage the event, that it should be the turn of the Americas in 2012.

New York came second in the poll with seven votes.

Another argument in New York's favour is its extensive experience of hosting sporting events, including the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.

"Lake Placid is too long ago, it's America's turn (and) New York has never had a chance like this," said Jurgen Preusser at the Kurier newspaper in Vienna. "Sympathy should do the rest."

The United States last hosted the Summer Games in Atlanta in 1996 and before that in Los Angeles in 1984.

The Big Apple is marketing itself as a resilient city recovering from the attacks of September 11, 2001, although the IOC has said emotion will not influence its decision.

London, which staged the Summer Games in 1908 and 1948, came a close third in the survey with six votes.

Opinion polls show that Londoners are less keen to host the games than the inhabitants of Paris, with some arguing the money would be better spent on hospitals, schools or redevelopment.

Of the remaining contenders, Madrid got just one vote. Respondents said it was too soon to return to Spain after the 1992 games in Barcelona.

Moscow, which got poor marks in an IOC report in March for environmental impact, transport, safety and security, came last in the Reuters poll with no votes.

"Moscow had it 1980 and it feels politically unsure," said Henrik Skiold at TT News Agency in Stockholm, who voted for London.