SINGAPORE : London is still in the running for the 2012 Olympic bid, says its High Commissioner to Singapore.
Mr Alan Collins says he was in London recently to be briefed on the city's bid, which has seen renewed interest with half a million people showing their support on-line.
He also dismissed a recent article in a UK newspaper saying the team had abandoned its bid.
Five cities are bidding to host the 2012 Games, and the winner will be decided in Singapore in July.
London hosted the Olympics in 1908 and 1948, and it is eager to make it a hat-trick by bidding for the 2012 Games.
But recent reports in the UK have claimed the bid is losing steam and lacks support from the British people.
British High Commissioner to Singapore Alan Collins said, "The report is completely unfounded. The fact of the matter is the London bid has tremendous support from the people of UK. The latest news is that 500,000 people have signed on to the 2012 website to register their very big support for the bid."
Ordinary folks aside, big names like David Beckham and even movie stars have put their weight behind the British bid.
The morale and enthusiasm is also high as London gets ready to host the IOC Evaluation Committee next week.
Mr Collins said, "More than 60 percent of those venues already exist and some of them are the great sporting icons that would be well known in Singapore. We will be showing them Wembley stadium for football, we will be showing them Wimbeldon for tennis and the Millennium Dome where the gymnastics would take place."
Venues aside, the transport system - criticised as obsolete - is also being improved.
And while London might not be the front-runner in popularity polls, Mr Collins says the race for the bid is not a sprint but rather a marathon.
The British community in Singapore started showing their support as early as last November, in a ceremony at Eden Hall complete with fireworks and attended by Prince Andrew, the Duke of York.
Mr Collins said, "The British community have a number of events in mind. I think the plans for those are not finalised yet but they would be looking for ways to show that they can support the bid."
IOC rules stipulate that all publicity has to stop by June.
And London together with the other bid cities - Paris, Moscow, Madrid and New York - would have their fate decided on July 6 when Singapore hosts the IOC Session where the host city for the 2012 Games will be announced. - CNA