England Defeats France...Again

The English have triumphed over the French yet again with today's announcement that the 2012 Olympics will be held in London.

The race had been considered too close to call as an unprecedented collection of world leaders and sports celebrities converged on Singapore to lobby for the bids.

London's victory handed Paris its third stinging Olympic defeat in 20 years, following failed bids for the 1992 and 2008 Olympics. Paris hasn't hosted the games since 1924.

Paris had the perceived advantage of bidding for a third time, especially since the IOC tends to reward persistence. The French capital also had a ready-to-go Olympic stadium in the Stade de France and embraced the IOC's blueprint for controlling the size and cost of the games.

But not even a personal appearance in Singapore by French President Jacques Chirac could secure victory.

"The heart of Paris and the heart of France are beating in unison in the hope of becoming Olympic host in 2012," Chirac said during the city's final presentation to the IOC. "You can put your trust and faith in France, you can trust the French, you can trust us."

Apparently that last line was too much, even for the Olympic officials.

New York was knocked out in early voting, despite the best attempts by Slick and Mrs. Willie (Clinton) to pursuade the Olympic committee otherwise. Madrid and Moscow also had an early exit.

London now has the privilege of incurring huge debts as they prepare for the Olympics. I'm sure they're hoping for better attendance than what the Athens organizers had last year.