Paris 2012...(6/7)

Paris lost the battle with London today for the bid of host for Olympics Game in 2012 - a taste of bitterness to the Parisians indeed...With the well media coverage of the lobbying and preparation work the city has done during the last few months in Paris, there was a general belief that Paris should have a very good chance to win the bidding. From the comment after the visit of the selection committee to Paris in March, from the well organisation of Live concert in June at Champ de Mars, from the discussion on journal whom from France should be the chief representative to enter the stadium in 2012...all appeared so bright for the country to get the offer to host the big event 7 years later. The Parisians were in general supportive to the bid. Crowds were stand-by at l'Hotel de Ville this afternoon to celebrate after the announcement of the selection result. Well, this is a bad news here, and it's a pity watching on TV how the Parisians left the square with disappointment shortly after the announcement. An incidence that fully demonstrates the sense of belongings and nationality of the French, the approach of press media to cope with these kinds of nationally concerned events as well as the general public projection to the expectation of the French government or even the President. After the "Non" of French people to the Referendum, the dispute with UK about the arrangement of subsidised funding for the agricultural industry, this would be another "coincidence" that may worsen the relationship between the two nations in the short term (during the chairmanship of Tony Blair as the head of the EU in the coming 6 months), at least from the unconscious side of the French, according to my observation. What an humuliation from a friend of UK who forwarded me the photo of the above...