Moscow unveils vision for 2012
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MOSCOW, Russia (Reuters) -- Moscow promised to stage "the most compact Olympics ever" on Friday when it unveiled its bid to host the 2012 Summer Games.
Moscow's deputy mayor said the Russian capital had the necessary infrastructure and expertise to stage all the Olympic sports, including yachting and soccer, within the city borders.
"Our main argument to stage the 2012 Olympics here in Moscow is that the whole of Russia wants it and the second most important thing is that we know how to do it," Valery Shantsev told a news conference.
Moscow does not have an open body of water and during the 1980 Olympics yachting races were held on the Baltic Sea, near Tallinn, capital of the then-Soviet republic of Estonia.
Now the plan envisages holding the Olympic regatta in Klyazminskoye reservoir, just north of the city.
"We planned to use St Petersburg. But after holding the world yachting championships in two different classes here last summer, we're confident Moscow is capable of hosting the sailing as well," said Shantsev, who heads the bid.
Moscow is bidding against eight other cities, with the International Olympic Committee planning to announce a shortlist in May. The winning candidate is to be decided by a vote of IOC members in Singapore in July 2005.
Speaking at the 84,000-seat Luzhniki Olympic Stadium, the site of the 1980 Games, Shantsev called for IOC leaders to correct what he described as an injustice inflicted on the city by a U.S.-led boycott 24 years ago.
Fully-fledged Games
"The 1980 Olympics were not fully-fledged Games as they were hampered by the boycott," he said.
"We had prepared so much to show ourselves to the world, but the boycott changed all that. It was unjust for our city, for our people and we all felt short-changed.
"Now the situation is different as our country has undergone serious changes since the early 1990s."
He said the city planned to build a village for the athletes on the banks of the Moscow River as well as a media village to host up to 17,000 journalists.
Russia's Sports Minister and former hockey great Vyacheslav Fetisov said the government had pledged its full support.
"The IOC is trying to keep down the cost, getting away from gigantic Games and spending a lot of money," he said.
"We already have most of the infrastructure in place and it should give us an advantage over some other candidates."
The city plans to spend $25 million on its campaign but projects a profit of some $940 million from the 2012 Games.
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