The British Olympic Association had been working on the bid since 1997, and presented its report to government ministers in December 2000.

[1] On 6 July 2005 at its 117th Session in Singapore, the IOC awarded London the right to host the Games of the XXX Olympiad.

[3] The project involved a major regeneration of the Stratford area of London, as well as improvements to surrounding services and associated venues.

[1] Public transport, an aspect of the proposal which scored poorly for the bid, saw numerous improvements, including to the London Underground and the new "Olympic Javelin" service.

[4] The celebrations of the bid's success were partly silenced the day after the announcement when the 7 July 2005 London bombings killed 52 people and injured hundreds more.

The plans would contribute to the regeneration of Stratford in east London, which would be the site of the Olympic Park, and of the neighbouring Lower Lea Valley.

[1] The IOC noted that future negotiations were necessary to ensure the use of the Old Trafford and Villa Park football stadiums.

The need for compulsory purchase orders was also highlighted as a possible problem for the Olympic Park, but IOC did not expect this to cause any "undue delay to construction schedules".

This park was developed on existing waste and industrial land, at grid reference TQ379849, just seven minutes by Olympic Javelin train from central London.

[22] Australian construction company Lend Lease Corp Ltd was chosen to build the Olympic Village.

For the most part, predictions showed that on event days, 78% of spectators were likely to travel from within London and only 22% from the rest of the UK and Europe.

In addition to stadium seats, there would be 20,000 £10 (US$19) tickets for the Olympic Park to watch events on big screens.

In addition, the government proposed to create the Olympic Delivery Authority, which would oversee the construction of venues and see that the games are lived out past 2012.

[38] One of the priorities governing the contents of London's bid was to avoid leaving "white elephants" after the games.

The Head of the IOC evaluation commission praised the passion behind the London 2012 bid when they visited Stratford and other places in the city.

The IOC evaluation commission chair Nawal El Moutawakel speaking at a press conference in London observed: "We could feel it, hear it and see it."

Mr Blair told BBC Five Live that he would be travelling to Singapore with the London delegation to stress the "complete 100% support" of politicians from all the major political parties in the country.

"The most important thing is to show people that the Government is absolutely behind the bid", said Mr Blair, who travelled to the Far East before returning to chair the 31st G8 summit at Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire, Scotland.

Many Londoners challenged the high cost of the Olympics and the £20 per year council tax rise to fund it as well as the possibility of white elephant sites like the Millennium Dome being left.

Additionally there were concerns that unions, including the RMT, would strike near or during the proceedings for bonuses and that construction deadlines would not be met.

Local business – some extant in this area for over 100 years – were questioning the package of measures in place to allow them to find new sites when the new Olympic village displaced them.

Furthermore the cost of travelling and accommodation would rise across London which many thought would outprice tourists and leave many events under-attended.

London has proposed Games based on providing world-class facilities and services for the athletes, and a legacy for sport and the community.

Whilst the Olympic Park would undoubtedly leave a strong sporting and environmental legacy for London, the magnitude of the project, including the planned upgrade and expansion of transport infrastructure, would require careful planning to ensure all facilities and rehabilitation projects were completed on time.

Increasing levels of ozone pollution are however a concern, but legislation and actions now in place are aimed at correcting that trend.