How UK won Olympic bid in the final straight
(China Daily)
Updated: 2005-07-12 06:07

The strategy was simple: he had to convince a majority of the 116 members of the IOC to give him their votes.

Coe was already on first name terms with many, having served on several Olympic committees.

New rules introduced after the 1999 Salt Lake City bribery scandal stopped IOC members from visiting bid cities outside of official trips. So Coe had to go to them. He was to fly more than 360,000 kilometres visiting sports events and associations around the world.

His team wooed foreign journalists to keep London at the forefront of IOC members' minds. Cherie Blair was appointed as an ambassador.

Coe knew the politics of the Olympic movement. He made a point of flying out to see Joao Havelange, IOC member for Brazil. As the retired president of FIFA, football's ruling body, Havelange held great sway over the Latin American "brotherhood" whose votes could prove crucial.

Samaranch: Coe's ace

Coe's ace was his longstanding relationship with Juan Antonio Samaranch, the "godfather" of the modern Olympics, who has maintained an honorary role in the IOC despite standing down as president in 2001. Samaranch still wields considerable influence over the IOC members, 80 of whom were appointed by him during a reign in which back room deals were common.

His friendship with Coe dates back to 1980 when the runner defied Margaret Thatcher's call for a boycott of the Moscow Olympics. Samaranch was Spanish ambassador to the Soviet Union and had just been elected IOC president.

Samaranch was, naturally, backing Madrid's bid which was led by his son, Juan Antonio Jr. But, like London, Madrid feared the support for Paris was too strong.

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