It has to be us

TODAY, a delegation from the International Olympic Committee comes to London for a four-day visit to decide whether this great city will host the 2012 Olympics. We all have a stake in the outcome, and we desperately want to win.

Last time, the committee found London wanting in some respects as an Olympic city, in particular because of concerns about transport.

Those concerns have now been addressed with solid, well-grounded plans for dedicated road lanes, the East London line extension, a better Jubilee line and "bullet trains" on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.

Today, London is a city that has sorted out its plans for the Games, and, more importantly, there is massive public backing for the Olympic project.

The extent to which the plans have advanced can be seen in the announcement a few hours ago that a 10-year funding deal has been struck to guarantee the future of the new 80,000-seat Olympic stadium.

At the same time, the Mayor announced a new cycling velodrome in east London. There is now a wealth of new ideas for the staging of the Games in such a way as to make them the most memorable ever for the spectators and participants. What is also clear is that hosting the 2012 Olympics will bring a host of benefits to London, in regenerating a formerly deprived part of the city and leaving behind a legacy of sustainable housing and vital transport links in the area - an important factor for a modern, socially-responsible Olympics committee to take into account.

What the committee can count on is that the city will deliver on its promises.

It can also count on the people of London being an enthusiastic presence at the Games in all its aspects as well as generous hosts to the countless foreign visitors who would come here.

London has so much to offer the Olympics, and the Games have so much to offer to London and to Britain.

It has to be us.