Key figures: Sebastian Coe (chairman of London 2012), Jacques Rogge (President of the International Olympic Committee), Tony Blair (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom), Ken Livingstone (Mayor of London)
Summary
On July 6, 2005, at the 117th Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), held at the Raffles City Convention Centre in Singapore, London was selected to host the Games of the XXX Olympiad — the 2012 Summer Olympics. London defeated Paris, the long-standing favourite, by 54 votes to 50 in the fourth and final round of an exhaustive ballot. The victory made London the first city to host the modern Summer Olympic Games three times, following the Games of 1908 and 1948.
Five cities had been shortlisted as official candidates on May 18, 2004: London, Paris, Madrid, New York City, and Moscow. London’s bid, initially regarded as trailing Paris, gained momentum after Sebastian Coe — a former Olympic 1500 metres champion — was appointed chairman of the bid committee on May 19, 2004. His final presentation to the IOC, emphasising sport’s power to inspire young people, was widely credited as decisive.
The celebration in Britain was cut short: the following morning, July 7, 2005, a coordinated series of suicide bombings struck London’s transport network, killing 52 people and abruptly transforming the national mood from jubilation to mourning.
The Bidding Process
Nine cities initially submitted applications to host the 2012 Games. On May 18, 2004, the IOC shortlisted five as candidate cities: London, Paris, Madrid, New York City, and Moscow. Paris, which had lost narrow bids for the 1992 and 2008 Games, was considered the front-runner for much of the campaign, with London widely seen as lagging behind.
The appointment of Sebastian Coe as chairman of London 2012 on May 19, 2004 — replacing the American businesswoman Barbara Cassani, who had led the bid’s early phase — is often cited as the turning point. Coe reframed the bid around a legacy of urban regeneration in East London and a message centred on inspiring a new generation of athletes and young people worldwide.
The Vote in Singapore
The host city was chosen by a secret, round-by-round exhaustive ballot at the IOC’s 117th Session on July 6, 2005. Of the IOC’s active members, those from countries with a candidate city were barred from voting until that city was eliminated. The city with the fewest votes in each round was removed, and balloting continued until one city held a majority:
- Round 1: London 22, Paris 21, Madrid 20, New York City 19, Moscow 15 — Moscow eliminated.
- Round 2: Madrid 32, London 27, Paris 25, New York City 16 — New York City eliminated.
- Round 3: London 39, Paris 33, Madrid 31 — Madrid eliminated.
- Round 4: London 54, Paris 50 — London elected.
IOC President Jacques Rogge opened the sealed envelope and announced that the 2012 Games had been awarded “to the city of London.” Prime Minister Tony Blair had travelled to Singapore to lobby IOC members in person during the days before the vote, an effort many observers regarded as significant to the outcome. In London, thousands gathered in Trafalgar Square to celebrate, and double Olympic champion Kelly Holmes led the festivities.
Aftermath and Legacy
The euphoria lasted less than a day. On the morning of July 7, 2005, four suicide bombers detonated devices on three London Underground trains and a double-decker bus, killing 52 commuters and injuring more than 700 in the deadliest terrorist attack on British soil since the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. The juxtaposition of the two days became one of the defining memories of the period in Britain.
Preparations for the Games proceeded over the following seven years, anchored by the regeneration of the Lower Lea Valley in East London into the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The 2012 Games were ultimately staged from July 27 to August 12, 2012, and were widely judged a success, both as a sporting event and as a catalyst for the redevelopment of a long-neglected part of the capital.
Significance
London’s selection was a landmark in the city’s civic and sporting history, confirming it as the first three-time host of the modern Summer Olympics. The bid’s success demonstrated the growing importance of presentation, personal lobbying, and legacy narratives in the IOC selection process, and Sebastian Coe’s role became a widely studied example of leadership in a competitive international campaign. The award also set in motion one of the largest urban-regeneration projects in British history. Coming a day before the 7/7 bombings, the victory is inseparable in national memory from the attack that followed, the two events together bracketing an extraordinary 24 hours in London’s modern history.