The Race for the Rings
On May 15, the International Olympic Committee released a special report on the five cities vying to host the 2008 Olympics. Three cities - Beijing, Paris and Toronto -- rated as "excellent" and deemed capable of hosting the Games.
Information for the report was compiled during a whirlwind visit to each of the prospective host cities earlier this year
The report focused on areas such as sports facilities, accommodation, environment, technology, transportation and venue proximity
IOC members will chose a host city for the 2008 Summer Games by secret ballot on July 13, in Moscow.
Beijing, CHINA
 It appears that Beijing bid organizers are a step closer to bringing the Games to China. Already the frontrunner to host the 2008 Olympics, Beijing's "good sports concept" and "complete government support" impressed IOC inspectors.
Aside from it's historical
legacy, Beijing's biggest selling point is the
proposed Athletes Village.
Built on land provided by the government, construction costs will be shared by the private and public sectors. After the Olympics, the village will quickly be converted into housing to be rented or sold to the public, satisfying the IOC's concerns about facilities' post-Olympic use.
The proximity of the village to the sports venues also impressed the IOC (with the exception of the sailing venue, which will be 667 km from the village).
IOC inspectors did report some concerns about environment and transportation challenges facing a metropolis like Beijing.
Even though it is currently
expanding, Beijing's transportation system is
barely keeping up with the city's urban sprawl.
In order to sustain Olympic traffic, Beijing will have to add 200 km of new roads and double the number of subway lines from two to four.
The Chinese capital has
also already taken steps to alleviate
environmental concerns.
The overpopulated Beijing has already begun implementing "green" technology to deal with traffic congestion and pollution.
While saying it was
"impossible to ignore", the report didn't stake a
position on China's human rights record. Instead,
inspectors left it to IOC members to reach their
own conclusions.
Paris, FRANCE
The allure of the City of
Lights may be more than IOC delegates can resist.
Not only is Paris one of the most sophisticated
and elegant cities in the world, it also boasts a
strong infrastructure and pre-existing Olympic
calibre venues.
Paris is familiar with
being a world class host and IOC inspectors were clearly intrigued about the possibility of staging Olympic events in "existing and famous" facilities, such as Stade de France, the scene of World Cup '98, and Roland Garros, home to tennis' French Open.
Not are mant facilities already built, but the required transit system to move spectators and athletes is also in place. Paris boasts the best transit system of all the finalists, with 12 subway lines -- six times as many as Beijing and Toronto.
Inspectors were
particularly impressed with France's financial
commitment to the Games. French President Jacques
Chirac has given the IOC a written guarantee that
his government would bank roll the
Games if organizers experienced a cash
shortfall.
On the other hand the inspectors did express concern about the relatively low degree of public support. According to survey's only 66 per cent of Parisians are in favour of the Olympics coming to their city.
The inspectors biggest
concern was possible problems in setting up the
Olympic village in urban Paris.
Inspectors also cited traffic conjestion and
high prices as potential drawbacks.
Toronto, CANADA
After receiving the IOC's technical report, John Bitove suggested that Toronto, not Beijing, was the frontrunner in the race to host the 2008 Games.  "The words `strong' and `excellent' are used most often when it comes to Toronto," said the bid chief. "The least amount of deficiencies are talked about for Toronto. "
What's strongest about the Toronto bid, according to the report, is the proximity of venues to the Olympic Village, which will be built on re-claimed wasteland along the city's waterfront.
According to
Toronto's bid plan 85
per cent of the sport venues are located within 6
kilometres -- 10 minutes -- of the Olympic
Village.
The Sydney Olympics, which were considered the best Summer Games ever,
had several venues that were up to 150 kilometres away.
The transportation system and the facilities for the Paralympics were also cited as pluses of Toronto's bid.
On the negative side, the inspectors did say they were "uneasy" about some aspects of the bid's planned budget and suggested Toronto needed more four and five star hotels.
According to the report, one major challenge facing the Toronto was ensuring that the
private sector and government succeed in delivering the refurbished
waterfront area.
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