...is LONDON!! Congratulations to Her Majesty the Queen, Prime Minister Tony Blair, David & Victoria Beckham et al, for their unflagging efforts. I didn't realise what a big deal hosting the Olympics was to the five cities who were contesting until I saw the aftermath (via Channel News Asia) last night after the winning city was announced. The winners were, of course, very ecstatic, while others (i.e. the losers) were visibly upset with some of the delegates even sobbing with disappointment.
The French must be pretty sore about it. Hey, I would have been too if I had asked the acclaimed Luc Besson to direct my video or if the suits of my delegates were from Givenchy -- these little things don't come cheap leh... :p And the frustration of defeat must have been felt even more keenly because Paris had been a hot favorite from the start and many had expected them to win. Trust me, I know how it feels like to have disappointed not only your own self, but others around you as well; the Paris delegation had carried the hopes of the entire French populace when they came to Singapore for the IOC meeting. To meet failure again after two previous attempts (for the 1992 and 2008 Games), I can imagine, is a little too much.
Perhaps they should have resorted to "hard-selling" themselves too, which was the strategy of the British from the start -- Whoring yourself for the sake of a successful bid, especially when the stakes are so high, might have been a pretty good idea. I mean, Beckham's publicity sorties in the glare of the media (attending functions left, right and center as soon as he got here), and all that shameless mugging surely had paid off handsomely... LOL
Anywayz, to tell you the truth, I've always been quite oblivious of the Olympics, seeing how our country never fared very well in them... But these shenanigans of famous world leaders and hot, hot super-athletes in Singapore, have made me sit up abit and pay attention. Yes, I'm an inquisitive little brat lah...
