IOC chief warns bid rivals

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge today warned London and its four rivals in the race for the 2012 Olympics to stop "bickering" and treat each other with more respect.

The most competitive campaign for decades has so far been marred by behind-the-scenes complaints about cities breaking lobbying rules set down by the International Olympic Committee's Ethics Commission.

Now Rogge has called a special meeting with London's Seb Coe and his counterparts from Paris, New York, Madrid and Moscow to issue them with a severe warning about their behaviour in the runup to next July's vote.

In an interview with BBC Five Live today, Rogge said: "I will ask all the candidate cities - with no exceptions - to focus on their own strengths, their messages and their bids and to stop looking at what the others are doing - to stop bickering and accusing each other.

"I am not happy about the atmosphere. I will call on the five participants to behave with respect for each other. I will call for fair play and a more constructive attitude."

The IOC has strict anti-corruption rules which limit the contact cities can make with IOC members to promote their bids. Candidate cities are also not allowed to criticise each other in public under the rules of the Ethics Commission which polices the campaign.