Cassani builds bid team
Olympic bid leader Barbara Cassani today confirmed her first key appointment as London rushes to catch up with its rivals in the race for the 2012 Games.
She has turned to David Luckes, a 34-year-old former Great Britain hockey goalkeeper, who has left his job at the British Olympic Association where he worked on technical plans for an Olympic bid.
His exact role with the bid has yet to be clarified but it will be announced when Cassani has recruited a chief executive in the next month.
London is way behind its main rivals Paris, New York and Madrid in its bid planning. But Cassani, who has been working from her Barnes home since she was appointed three weeks ago, has now secured offices on the top floor of Canary Wharf Tower with a view of the proposed Olympic site at Stratford.
Tony Blair, the BOA and Ken Livingstone today sent three letters by courier to the International Olympic Committee in Switzerland confirming London is bidding ahead of next Tuesday's deadline.
Blair told IOC President Jacques Rogge: "The Government wants to use this important festival as a catalyst to promote sports' participation and physical activity in all communities throughout the UK".
Livingstone highlighted London's multicultural society saying it would "welcome the Olympic family with open arms."
The nine bidding cities will also include Rio de Janeiro, Havana, Leipzig, Moscow and Istanbul. The IOC will decide on the venue in a vote in July 2005.
