The Olympics

The Olympics

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News, information and stories about the Olympic Games in Athens 2004 and the Olympics in general up until 2007.

Saturday, November 20, 2004

Madrid's Bid Dead?

It seems that the racist abuse, by Spanish fans of English footballers on Wednesday, may well have killed Madrid's chances of hosting the 2012 Olympic Games.

The IOC may be many things, but it is not stupid enough to knowingly associate its brand with racism.

Lord Coe, the head of the British bid team, was quick to recognise this. In his speech yesterday, outlining London's bid proposal, he put the athletic boot into Madrid.

He said that British Olympics would showcase Britain's "ethnic diversity and tolerance".

Referring to the scenes from Madrid, on Wednesday, he added:

"It was a disfiguring episode for anyone anywhere in sport."

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