http://www.yesmoke.ch/headlines/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/front_page/4655555.stm

IOC president Jacques Rogge made the dramatic announcement at 1249 BST.

Paris was considered the front-runner for much of the campaign, and was highly rated in the initial evaluation and also by the inspectors after their visits earlier in the year.

But it was widely recognised that bid leader Lord Coe, a high-profile personality within the IOC and other governing bodies, hauled London closer to the French capital as the vote approached.

Madrid was seen as a consistent but not outstanding candidate, while New York's bid was dogged by problems over their proposed stadium, and Moscow was always seen as the rank outsider.