In the start of July (maybe July 9), the IOC decides who will be awarded the 2012 Olympics between NY, London, Paris, Madrid, and Moscow. You can read about some of the proposal plans at [ http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.06/olympics.html?tw=wn_tophead_5 ]
I’m gunning for the underdog. I want Madrid to get this bid. London, Paris, and Moscow have hosted the Olympics in the past, and shouldn’t get to hog more of the International Spotlight (and New York would be my second choice for host city). The Summer Olympics leading up to 2012 were Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008), and Madrid would fit nicely in a running list of more exotic locations than the rest.
More than anything, I actually want anywhere except London to have the Olympics. It is unjust to host them in such a price gouging location. Having read some of their campain propaganda (and you can see their web site at http://www.london2012.org/en ) , they seem to think that this will be their ticket to magically transforming their city into some utopia where everybody is friendly and the sun shines above. If it didn’t happen in the past, its not going to now. Its going to be an excuse to jack prices even higher, allowing nobody to afford to stay and watch the Olympics, and its not going to help their problems such as theft.
The only thing about Madrid winning the bid would be that they need to make a better airport facility to handle the volume of traffic generated by the Olympics. But if Barcelona can do it, it should be a snap for Madrid.