Blair and Beckham lead UK's Olympic bid
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-07-05 09:08

Prime Minister Tony Blair and David Beckham were leading a last-minute charm offensive to secure the 2012 Olympics for London - as a new row flared with leading rival Paris.

England's soccer captain David Beckham leaves a dinner reception at the British High Commissioner's residence in Singapore July 4, 2005. Paris, London, Madrid, New York City and Moscow are competing to win the right to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in an IOC vote which will be held on July 6 in Singapore. Beckham is in town to support London's bid. [Reuters]

He was addressing a reception at the High Commissioner's residence in Singapore, attended by a glittering array of sporting stars led by David and Victoria Beckham.

Mr Blair, speaking alongside Lord Coe and his bid team, told guests: "We are very proud of our country and we feel we can make the Olympic movement proud of this bid as well."

Dignitaries at the event included the Princess Royal, Sir Steve Redgrave, Daley Thompson, Jonathan Edwards, Sir Matthew Pinsent, Denise Lewis, David Hemery. Tanni Grey-Thompson and Sir Bobby Charlton.

French officials were earlier angered by critical comments about the centrepiece Paris stadium - the Stade de France - made by two Australian consultants to the London bid.

Jim Sloman, the former chief operating officer of the Sydney Games, and architect Rod Sheard, had claimed at a press conference that the arena was not ideal for athletics, prompting anger from the Paris bid team.

Though the French team decided not to make an official complaint, relations have been further strained following comments said to have been made by French President Jacques Chirac.

Speaking ahead of the G8 conference in Scotland, the politician reportedly told German and Russian leaders that all Britain has ever done for European agriculture is "mad cow". He is also quoted as telling diplomats: "We can't trust people who have such bad food."

Mr Blair, who is due to head off to the G8 summit in Scotland before Wednesday's International Olympic Committee vote, refused to trade barbs with French president Jacques Chirac.