LONDON, July 6: London erupted with joy on Wednesday after it was named the host of the 2012 Olympic Games, beating arch rival Paris and three other cities in a nail-biting contest.

A crowd of four thousand people whooped and cheered as the International Olympic Committee (IOC), meeting in Singapore, broadcast its announcement on two giant television screens erected in Trafalgar Square.

Union Jack flags and baloons waved as Londoners celebrated in the square, which aptly features Nelson’s Column dedicated to Admiral Horatio Nelson, who 200 years ago defeated the French at the Battle of Trafalgar effectively ending Napoleon’s ambitions of invading England.

London, which also beat off Madrid, Moscow and New York after more than two years of campaigning, must now turn plans for a major overhaul of its rickety transport network and the construction of an Olympic Park into a reality.

But for the time being, organisers and the public were swept up with celebrating the news and toasting the London bid team, lead by double Olympic medal winner Sebastian Coe, for its efforts to turn what was first considered a long-shot at the title into a genuine chance.

Pop singers such as Mel C — formerly of the British pop sensation the Spice Girls — Heather Small and Rachel Stevens were due to perform at the so-called “Thank You” party, while a Samba band was also entertaining the crowds.

School children many wearing “Make Britain Proud” T-shirts, sport fans, businessmen and women in suits and curious tourists joined in the festivities, which also featured top athletes Dame Kelly Holmes, who won two gold medals at last year’s Games in Athens, and Steve Cram.—AFP