Queen Sofia of Spain and the Mayor of Madrid have travelled to Singapor where on 6th July this week the International Olympics Committee will vote the successful candidate to host the 2012 Olympic Games.

Spain desperately wants to host the 2012 Olympics, and most of the Spanish media seems oblivious to the fact that Paris and London are considered to be the favourites by much of the international press (USA Today is one example of many). At the end of last year Carlos Rovira, the most controversial member of Catalonia’s Government, was forced to withdraw anti-Madrid bid comments because they provoked a boycott of Catalan Cava all over Spain.

A wide variety of well-known representatives of the Spanish political, business and sports scenes are backing the Madrid candidature by forming part of Spain’s delegation in Singapore.

Spain’s President, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero will also attend the final presentation, arriving on 5th.

The Queen will participate in Madrid’s final presentation before the IOC prior to the vote. This morning she told reporters «We have a good chance (of winning). The competition is fierce, but we have faith and intend to do everything possible to win». The Queen said that her contribution would be «to defend the expertise of Madrid in organizing cultural and sporting events».

The bulk of the Spanish delegation will arrive in Singapore on Tuesday. Members of the group from the sporting world include Madrid football star, Raul Gonzalez, NBA player Pau Gasol, athletes Fermin Cacho, Manuel Estiarte, Beatriz Ferrer Salat and Gemma Hassen-Bey, retired tennis-player Arantxa Sanchez and retired cyclist Miguel Indurain.

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