Toronto greets Olympics decision with dismay

The decision to award the 2008 Olympics to Beijing has

been greeted with dismay in Toronto today.

The Canadian city became a losing Olympic finalist for the second time in 11 years, having finished third behind Atlanta and Athens in 1990.

According to the Toronto Globe & Mailwebsite, the previous losing bid was marked by "more political opposition and less government support than the 2008 effort has had".

It seems that every black Canadian cloud has some silver lining though. Today’s decision was apparently greeted with jubilation in Vancouver and Whistler on the country’s west coast. They are bidding for the 2010 Winter Games and felt that a Toronto victory today would have doomed their chances.

Investigations into why Toronto failed again to get the Games are likely to include the effect of recent statements by the city’s Mayor Mel Lastman. Before a recent trip to Africa, Mr Lastman joked about being in a pot of boiling water surrounded by dancing natives.

The joke backfired and caused an international furore. The subject was also raised by an African delegate during Toronto's presentation yesterday.

The Toronto bid group have indicated a willingness to try yet again for the 2012 Games.