This Wednesday, the city of London received the news from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that it had made a successful bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games. Given that these events are viewed by billions of people around the world, the Games are often seen as a way to draw investment into their host cities and as a way to showcase the accomplishments of their host nation. In the decisive round of voting, London barely edged out Paris by a vote of 54 to 50. The media coverage surrounding the competition between the cities competing to host the 2012 Olympics was intense, and the decision also happened to coincide with the G8 meeting at the Gleneagles resort in Scotland, which heightened some of the drama of this announcement. The people of Paris seemed to be somewhat crestfallen by the announcement, and the mayor of the City of Lights remarked that “This is an immense disappointment. I just can’t explain how it happened, to tell you the truth.” Alternately, Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain was elated, noting “It is not often in this job that you get to punch the air and do a little jig and embrace the person standing next to you.” The first link leads to a fine piece of reporting from the BBC Sport division that looks at some of the reasons London was able to create and sustain a successful bid to host the 2012 Olympics. The second link will take visitors to an article from the Washington Post that outlines some of the positive and negative long-term (and short-term) impacts that the Olympics may have on their host city and nation. The third link leads to an online Telegraph article which discusses the broader setting of the G8 summit, which is going on this week at Gleneagles. The fourth link leads to a trenchant piece from the New York Daily News which discusses how local politics in New York potentially adversely affected the Big Apple’s bid to host the Olympics in 2012. The fifth link leads to a piece by William J. Kole writing in the San Francisco Chronicle that offers some observations on how cities that were unsuccessful in their bids to host the Olympic Games are reacting to the recent news. The sixth and final link leads to the official London 2012 homepage, which provides ample information on the city's successful bid, including some of its promotional videos and presentations.