LAUSANNE, May 18: Paris, New York, Moscow, London and Madrid were accepted on Tuesday as candidates to stage the 2012 Summer Olympics but four other cities missed out.

Havana, Rio de Janeiro, Istanbul and Leipzig in Germany were dropped from an initial shortlist after a unanimous decision of the IOC's executive board, International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge told a news conference.

Having survived the cull, the five cities have until July 6 next year to convince the IOC's membership to award them the world's most important sports event. Rogge said it was possible one or more of the five cities could be removed from the list in May 2005 if the IOC did not believe they "could deliver".

"The exercise was to retain those cities who we believe would stage the best Games," Rogge said. "I do not like the word 'rejection' but those cities we have not retained this in no way reflects that we do not trust these countries."

Paris, which last hosted the Olympics in 1924, is viewed as the front-runner for 2012. In deciding host cities, IOC experts give the most weight to two categories - general infrastructure and accommodation.

The IOC wants to be sure the basic framework of a city is sufficient to take on the load of the Olympics in terms of transportation, security and sufficient hotel beds.

About 10,500 athletes are expected in Athens for August's Games. More than 200,000 people were accredited for the 2000 Games in Sydney. Paris and London had been considered certainties to make the cut but their relief was still palpable in Lausanne.

"I am very pleased that London has been named a candidate city for the 2012 Olympic Games. But I am not surprised we have cleared this most important hurdle," British Prime Minister Tony Blair said in a statement.

New York bid chief Daniel Doctoroff was thrilled at making the five-city shortlist. The United States staged the Summer Olympics just eight years ago in Atlanta. "New York's designation puts us in select company with the other great candidate cities on the road to 2012," he said.

"We look forward to an exciting international competition in the months ahead." Madrid was topped only by Paris in a league table of applicant cities. Former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch was in Lausanne lending his support to their bid.

"We managed the first step which has involved a lot of people. Let's see if we can get the whole of Spain hooked," Chema Martinez, winner of 10,000 metres at the European Championships in 2002, told Reuters.

Latest odds: 11-10 - Paris; 5-4 - London; 7-1 - Madrid; 8-1 - New York; 20-1 - Moscow. -Reuters