Rogge: X-factor will be decisive

Olympic chief Jacques Rogge today warned London that the race to host the 2012 Games will not necessarily be won on technical merit.

London bid officials have spent a huge amount of energy on perfecting their Olympic plans and running a successful public relations campaign.

But, just a week before the five competing cities hand in their technical bid documents to the International Olympic Committee, IOC president Rogge said he thought emotion and personal preferences would be more important than facts and figures in next July's vote.

Earlier in the campaign Rogge stressed the importance of technical know-how in the bidding. But he now appears to believe politics will prevail in the Singapore vote, when London comes up against rivals Paris, New York, Madrid and Moscow.

Rogge said: "I could say the IOC over this past 100 years has always let prevail potential quality over emotional issues.

"In this case we have five cities that offer good security in terms of organisation of the Games. All of them can do it. So I think this time personal preferences and emotional choices of the IOC members will play a big role."