PARIS, Dec 8: French President Jacques Chirac on Sunday threw his weight behind a bid by Paris to host the 2012 Olympic Games and said it could have positive spin-offs for the country and the nation’s sportsmen.

Paris lost out to Beijing in the race to stage the 2008 Games and was pipped by Barcelona in the bidding for the 1992 Olympics but Chirac said he would give a fresh bid strong support.

“It would be a good opportunity for our champions, a good opportunity for sport and a good opportunity for our country,” the president told a major consultation session of sports administrators in Paris.

“Have no doubt about it, I will back this bid.”

The International Olympic Committee will not decide on the 2012 host city until 2005 but Paris must inform the IOC of its intention to enter a bid by July next year.

New York is the only city to so far officially declare its intent to bid, but London, Madrid, Moscow, Rio de Janeiro and Toronto have all expressed an interest.

Chirac said the final decision must be made by the mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe, and the city authorities.

“We will look with them at how this bid can proceed and at the support that the authorities can and must give them,” said Chirac.

Delanoe said on Thursday he believed Paris had “strong attributes” to host the 2012 Games.

Any bid is expected to be based around the Stade de France, the futuristic stadium in a formerly rundown area of northern Paris which was built for the 1998 World Cup finals.

The stadium has a special place in French hearts as it was the scene of the country’s victory over Brazil in that World Cup final.

Next year, the stadium will play host to the World Athletics Championships.

Paris staged the first modern Olympics in 1900 and played host again in 1924.—AFP