2012 Host Candidates to Debate — Not!

Early in the new year, the AP ran this story noting that BBC World was planning a televised debate between delegations from the five candidate cities for the 2012 Olympic Games. I haven't even gotten around to mentioning it and already the IOC has pulled the plug on the idea. Too bad; it sounded like it might be kind of fun.

In other bidding news this week, IOC president Jacques Rogge encouraged African nations to put in bids for 2016. Then, to his apparent discomfort, Kenya announced that they would take him at his word. When Rogge put out the call to "Africa," he probably meant South Africa, who are pretty much the only country on the continent with any experience hosting sporting events of comparable size. But if South Africa decides that they want to pursue it, they probably have a decent shot; at least some IOC sentiment will be on their side.