Moscow launches 2012 Olympics bid

The Russian Olympic assembly on Friday unanimously nominated Moscow as a candidate for hosting the summer Olympic Games in 2012. After the voting, Russian Olympic Committee President Leonid Tyagachyov said that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will be notified of the decision today. According to the rules for choosing the host of the games, all potential candidates must submit their applications by June 16, 2003. The IOC should send them tentative replies by January 15, 2004. Five official candidates will be chosen in June 2004. The host city will be named in July 2005 at an IOC session in Singapore. New York, Havana, Madrid, Paris, London and Leipzig have submitted their applications. Istanbul and Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo may also join the competition.