The 117th IOC Session will convene in Singapore from 6 to 9 July 2005

The 117th IOC Session will convene in Singapore from 6 to 9 July 2005 where the host city of the Games of the XXX Olympiad will be elected on 6 July 2005, when a secret ballot is held among all IOC members. The announcement of the winning city is expected to be made at 7.30 p.m. (GMT+8).

There are five cities still in the running to be named as the 2012 Summer Olympic Host city for the July 6 announcement, London (Great Britain), Madrid (Spain), Moscow (Russia), New York (United States of America) and Paris (France). 

Three of these 2012 Olympic bid cities will host canoe and kayak in separate venues. Paris will modify the seating in its regatta center to accommodate the different disciplines.

Bid Cities – Quick Facts

London: (Flatwater) Eton Dorney; Jan 2008; $15 million; 20,000; 56 km; (Slalom) Broxbourne Canoe Slalom Course; 2000; 12,000; 30 km

Madrid: (Flatwater) Aranjuez Flatwater Canal; 2007; $52.48 million; 14,000; 55 km; (Slalom) La Gavia Park Wildwater Canal; 2007; $14.28 million; 8,000; 11 km

Moscow : (Flatwater) Krylatskoye Rowing and Canoeing Center; Feb 1980; 20,000; 12 km; (Slalom) Krylatskoye Rowing and Canoeing Center Slalom Course; June 2011; $29 million; 8,000; 12 km

New York : Olympic Regatta Center at Flushing Meadows Corona Park; May 2009; $61.7 million; 25,000; 13 km

Location: Europe

Olympic History: London has never hosted a Games after winning a bid. London hosted in 1908 after Rome was elected but the host city was switched. London hosted in 1948 when they were chosen on short notice because of World War II. London had won the bid for the 1944 Games that were cancelled due to the War. Manchester was the UK's last bid for both 1996 and 2000.

Estimated Bid Cost: Approx. USD $25.5 Million

Estimated Games Cost: Approx. USD $4 Billion

Official Website: Click here

Games Hosted: 1908, 1948

Canoeing Venues: Broxbourne (canoe slalom) and Eton Dorney Rowing Centre (Rowing and Flatwater canoeing events)

Broxbourne

A new Canoe Slalom course would be built at Broxbourne, using the waters of the River Lea to provide a physical link to the Olympic Park in the Lower Lea Valley.

Location
Broxbourne sits on the edge of the 1000-acre Lea Valley Country Park in Hertfordshire, just outside the M25 motorway, and directly linked to the proposed Olympic Park by the water of the River Lea.

Spectator guide
The Canoe Slalom course would have facilities for 12,000 spectators to enjoy the spectacular white-water racing.

Legacy
The slalom course would become a centre for elite and grass-roots training and competition, as well as becoming a major leisure attraction for white water rafting.

Transport
The venue is easily accessible from Broxbourne Station, which is served by direct train services to Liverpool Street and the Olympic Park at Stratford. Close proximity to the M25 and the A10 provides excellent road access

Eton Dorney Rowing Centre (Rowing and Flatwater canoeing events)

The Eton College Rowing Centre at Dorney Lake will host the the World Championships in 2006, marking the culmination of a 10-year project to develop an international class facility. Eton Dorney would host the Rowing and Canoe/Kayak (Flatwater) competitions in 2012.

Location
Eton Dorney enjoys a spectacular location beneath the ramparts of Windsor Castle, approximately 25 miles west of London.

Spectator guide
The existing world-class facilities at Eton Dorney would be enhanced to offer 20,000 seats for spectators to enjoy rowing events. The success of British rowers in recent Games would help to guarantee excellent crowds and a memorable atmosphere.

Legacy
Eton Dorney would continue to provide a world-class training and competition facility after the Games.

Transport
Eton Dorney enjoys excellent transport links by road and rail. The lake is just five miles from Heathrow Airport, with easy access to the M4 motorway and regular train services to Windsor and Eton Riverside station.

Madrid, Spain

Population: 2,847,779

Location: Europe

Olympic History: Spain last hosted the Summer Games in 1992 in Barcelona. Madrid's last bid for 1972 Summer Games and Spain's last bid was Seville for the 2008 Summer Games. Jaca last bid for the 1998 and 2010 Winter Games.

Official Website: Click here

Games Hosted: 1992 (Barcelona)

Canoeing Venues: La Gavia Canoe Slalom Course and Aranjuez Flatwater Canal

La Gavia Canoe Slalom Course

The Park of the Gavia, located on the Vallecas stretch, will constitute one of the most spacious green areas in Madrid. The enclosure will host the slalom canoeing competition. The route will be 380 meters long, and will use recycled water.

The Olympic Village is only 11km (9 Min) away and the Olympic Stadium 12km (10 Min).

Aranjuez Flatwater Canal

Canoeing is an established discipline and one of the most-practiced sports in the city of Aranjuez.

The area chosen to locate the Olympic Rowing Canal features a two-kilometre-long by 165-metre-wide canal of calm waters, and a 1200-metre-long by 27-metre-wide return canal separated from the competition area by a dyke.

Olympic Village 55 Km. 34 Min Olympic Stadium 55 Km. 33 Min

Moscow, Russia

Population: 8,389,700 (1999)

Location: Western Russia

Olympic History: Hosted Games in 1980 amid scores of nation boycotts due to the Soviet Union's occupation of Afghanistan. Moscow is home to 500 Olympic Champions, countless Olympic dreams and where 90% of the population strongly supports the Moscow 2012 Olympic bid.

Official Website: Click here

Games Hosted: 1980

Canoeing Venues: Krylatskoye Rowing Basin

Krylatskoye Rowing Basin

Moscow - the country's cultural and sporting centre has more than 100 museums, exhibitions and show rooms, more than 30 professional theatres and concert halls (including the world renowned Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre), hundreds of cinemas, clubs and civic centres. Muscovites have at their disposal dozens of big stadiums and swimming pools, including the Trade Union Sports Centre Krylatskoye which has a 13.5 km cycle track, and indoor cycle track with seats for 6,000 spectators, open fields for archery and an Olympic training centre for rowing.

New York, USA

Population: 8,115,135

Location: North-East United States

Olympic History: New York has never bid for the Olympic Games. The United States have bid for and hosted several Games, most recently the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Games and the Atlanta 1996 Summer Games.

Description: New York’s plan was the most expensive of the competing U.S. bids at a proposed $3.2 billion. A subway line will have to be extended and traffic would probably be a problem. New York’s Olympic facilities would be shaped in the form of an “X” with the athletes’ village at its intersection, built on undeveloped land along the East River in Queens opposite the United Nations.

Total expenditures are expected to be $3.1 billion including $276.6 million for capital improvement and all the money would come from private sources. A New York Olympics would be held from July 27 to Aug. 12. But there is local opposition. The Midtown West plan irks neighborhood groups who have girded for battle over a proposed Yankees ballpark for years.

Highlights: Olympic action concentrated in the center of the city, multicultural communities will provide 'hometown' crowds for every athlete. Great tourist attractions.

Challenges: Traffic congestion, security issues in wake of terror attacks, massive construction projects

Games Budget: $3.1 Billion

Financial Guarantee: Public ($250M). The NYC2012 Olympic bid was thrown into peril last Monday when the three-member Public Authorities Control Board did not vote to approve $300 million in state spending for the stadium, likely killing the centerpiece of the Olympic plan with only one month left before the International Olympic Committee’s final decision.

Capital Costs For Improvements: $924M

Official Website: Click here

Games Hosted: 1984 Los Angeles and 1996 Atlanta

Canoeing Venues: Meadow and Willow Lakes, Flushing Meadows

Meadow and Willow Lakes

The 2,000-meter rowing course proposed for the 2012 Olympic Games has been ecologically engineered by the Gaia Institute to more than quadruple the acreage of productive wetlands and dramatically expand natural habitats. In order to be used for competition, the lakes must also be deepened below the racing lanes to a depth of 3.5 meters, and the necessary dredging will remove many if not all of the phosphorus-rich sediments that contribute to the poor water quality of the lakes today.

The Olympic rowing proposal would incorporate six new boathouses for recreational use by the public, high schools, colleges and universities. At the same time, the natural areas to the south will be accessible only by a raised boardwalk, allowing public access, while limiting disturbance to wildlife.

Paris, France

Population: 2,077,537

Location: Europe

Olympic History: Paris last hosted the Games in 1924 and before that in 1900. Paris bid for the 2008 Games placing third overall and bid for the 1992 Games placing second. France hosted the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville and other Winter Games in 1968 and 1924.

Estimated Games Cost: USD $6.9 Billion

Official Website: Click here

Games Hosted: 1900, 1924

Canoeing Venues: Vaires-sur-Marne Regatta Centre

Vaires-sur-Marne Regatta Centre

Vaires-sur-Marne Regatta Centre will host both Flatwater and Slalom. The existing Vaires-sur-Marne venue is located to the south-east of Paris in a beautiful natural setting.  It has hosted international rowing competitions such as the 1997 Rowing World Cup.  The current upgrade of the buildings and the construction of a white-water slalom course will increase the diversity of the venue, as well as the creation of an artificial island.

Vaires-sur-Marne Regatta Centre will have the capacity to seat 21,800 (Flatwater) and 10,000 (Slalom) spectators.  It is 47 km (43 mins) from the Olympic Village.