The Wembley factor

Rivals Paris have an advantage over London in that their Olympic Stadium is already in place - the Stade de France, which was built for the 1998 World Cup finals.

London plan a 80,000-capacity Olympic stadium in east London's Stratford, but it will only exist on computer graphics before the vote.

However, the crucial point is that the French stadium will look outdated compared to the building and plans that Wembley officials will be able to show the IOC's evaluation commission in February - even with another year's construction remaining.

Wembley is earmarked for the finals of the football competition, which will also be staged in leading grounds around the country, including Old Trafford, the Millennium Stadium and Hampden Park.

But its design, especially the brilliant facilities away from the pitch for spectators, sponsors and VIP's, will be used to show how Britain is taking the experience of going to a sporting event to another level by offering fans the chance to shop, play video games and dine before a match.

By 2012, the Stade de France, which has poor catering facilities inside the ground for non-VIP spectators, will be old fashioned.

London, on the other hand, can promise the IOC more of Wembley's dynamic approach in the Stratford stadium.

The IOC's marketing officials will also be impressed by the prospect of permanent shops in place, which could sell Olympic merchandise to sports fans in the run-up to the Games.

London will give prominence to all of the capital's famous sporting venues in both the bid book and during the visit of IOC experts.

There was talk early on in the bid of building a new tennis centre at Stratford, but it became clear that the glamour value of Wimbledon was crucial for the campaign even though it is a long journey from the athletes' village in east London.

Separate accommodation will be provided in Wimbledon for players who want to stay nearer the venue during the competition, but they will still have a room reserved in the athletes' village to enjoy the Olympic experience.

A special chapter in the illustrious history of Lord's could also be made with archery scheduled to be staged there.

Wimbledon, Wembley and Lord's are synonymous with British sport around the world and they will strike a chord with both IOC members and television executives, who pay billions of dollars for the rights to broadcast the Games.

In the bid book, London will stress to the IOC that, although the main Olympic complex for high-profile sports such as athletics and swimming in Stratford has not yet been built, the capital already has many venues in place.

The 300-page document points out that the Millennium Dome ( basketball and gymnastics) and the massive ExCeL indoor centre (boxing, judo, weightlifting, taekwondo, table tennis and wrestling) are ready now.

These venues are located within a short bus journey of the athletes' village.

Abroad, the Dome does not carry the baggage of its controversial history. In fact, most IOC members will not be aware of the furore surrounding its construction. To them, it will be a building they have spotted from the air on a plane heading for Heathrow airport.

After spending the past year trying to persuade London and the rest of the country of the merits of the bid, London 2012 officials now have to think globally with the start of the international marketing campaign next week.

Although the British media is read widely abroad because of the prominence of the English language, the reality is that all of our internal disputes will not have been followed closely internationally.

So Bid leader Sebastian Coe has to forget the past fiascos of Wembley and the Dome and start selling them as London's strengths.

What's in a name . . . everything

WEMBLEY

Recognition factor with IOC members: Huge. Many IOC members will have been in the Royal Box on Centre Court, including IOC President Jacques Rogge.
Location: Big disadvantage, being on the other side of London to athletes' village, but players will be offered accommodation nearby plus a room in the village.

LORD'S

Recognition factor with IOC members: Cricket is not played in many countries and Lord's will mean little to members from much of Europe, North and South America. But members from cricket-mad India and Australia can spread the word.
Location: Sufficient for an archery event although not as close to the village as the east London sites.

THE DOME

Recognition factor with IOC members: Pretty low, though they may have spotted it from the air on a flight into London. Plus the point of this is that many will not have followed all of its problems that dogged the government.
Location: Perfect, the Dome will be just a short bus ride from the athletes' village in Stratford.