Jul 6, 2005, 12:38 GMT
Madrid - Thousands of Madrid residents watching the International Olympic Committee (IOC) choose the host city of the 2012 Olympic Games on a gigantic screen reacted with tears, angry shouts and whistles when the Spanish capital was eliminated.
City officials also present at the central Plaza Mayor square hugged each other and thanked residents for their overwhelming support for Madrid's bid.
"I am sure that in the future, we will be an Olympic city," caretaker mayor Ana Botella said.
Madrid had, however, been somewhat prepared to lose despite strong selling points such as environmental policy, the compact layout of Olympic venues and the advanced state of Olympic installations.
It was already a victory for Madrid to compete with giants such as London, Paris and New York, the daily El Mundo said in an editorial before the vote, adding that the eliminated candidates could be eligible to organize other Olympics in the future.
An IOC Evaluation Committee had criticized Madrid's lack of hotel rooms and highway noise near the proposed site of the Olympic village. A car bomb planted by Basque separatists near the would-be Olympic stadium also rocked Madrid's hopes shortly before the IOC vote.
Madrid was the only candidate city that had never organized Olympics. The bid was Madrid's second since 1966, when Munich landed the 1972 Olympics.
The city was eliminated on the third round of voting, following Moscow and New York, leaving the right to host the Games between Paris and London. IOC President, Jacques Rogge, will announce the decision at approximately 1245 GMT.
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