SINGAPORE - The five cities bidding for the 2012 Olympics made their final pitches Wednesday with messages of support from presidents, prime ministers and sports celebrities.
Paris, New York, Moscow, London and Madrid were giving 45-minute presentations to the International Olympic Committee, which votes later in the day to determine the winner of the most glamorous and hotly contested bid race in Olympic history.
Paris went in as the perceived favorite and London a strong challenger. New York and Madrid would be surprise winners, while Moscow was a long shot.
But IOC members said the race remains tight, wide open and impossible to call. Much could depend on the impact of the presentations and the vagaries of the round-by-round secret voting procedure.
Longtime favorite Paris, led by President Jacques Chirac, went first and said it had learned from past defeats and come up with the right formula to bring the games back to the French capital for the first time since 1924.
"France is intent on offering the world unforgettable Olympic and Paralympic Games," Chirac told the delegates. "The heart of Paris and the heart of France are beating in unison in the hope of becoming Olympic host in 2012.
"You can put your trust and faith in France, you can trust the French, you can trust us."
Upset hopeful New York made its case for taking the games to the Big Apple for the first time, with a star studded delegation — including Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Muhammad Ali and a taped message from President George W. Bush — citing the city's long tradition of welcoming the world.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg cited the city's resilience in recovering from the Sept. 11 attacks, saying, "That spirit will be given to your games."
"Our city needs these games in 2012," he said. "When I became mayor four years ago, New York was shaken. We didn't know what our future would be.
"In our city's darkest hour, we asked ourselves, can we recover?" he said. "New Yorkers stood up then and said, 'Yes, we can recover, we will rebuild and we must continue to welcome everyone. That spirit will be given to your Games."
Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking in English publicly for the first time, appeared in a video message appealing to the IOC to make a "unique and historic" decision by giving the games to Moscow.
"As the president of Russia, I am convinced that our hopes for success in bidding for Olympics 2012 are absolutely justified, reasonable and realistic," he said.
Moscow's bid, however, has been undermined by security worries after terrorist attacks connected to the conflict in the Russian province of Chechnya. Chechen rebel warlord Shamil Basayev warned on Tuesday in a statement posted on a separatist Web site that athletes would not be safe if Moscow hosted the 2012 Olympics.
London and Madrid were making presentations later.
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