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2012 BID NEWS: ROGGE WARNING TO CITIES

Olympic chief Jacques Rogge has called on the five cities bidding to host the Games in 2012 to stop "bickering".

In an exclusive interview to be broadcast at 19:00 GMT on BBC Radio Five Live he says: "I will meet with the candidate cities this week. I would ask them - with no exception - to focus on their own bid, stop looking at what the others are doing and stop bickering and accusing each other.

"I'm not happy about the atmosphere and I'd call on the five to behave with respect for each other, fair play and to have a more constructive attitude."

London, Paris, Madrid, New York and Moscow have entered the final stage of a bidding process which could turn out to be the closest in Olympic history.

And there have been a number of tensions between the cities ahead of the decision next July, even though the International Olympic Committee has strict rules to regulate conduct.

Rogge intends to put an end to the sniping when he meets the five bid leaders during the general assembly of European Olympic committees in Dubrovnik this week.

Last year British Prime Minister Tony Blair was accused of making an Olympic pitch at a summit of Commonwealth leaders, and there was thinly-veiled criticism of London's bid from Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe.

London's bid team were irked when Madrid used advertising hoardings to promote its bid at the football friendly between Spain and England last month.

And the latest spat came when Madrid complained to the IOC about Paris using French embassies to promote its bid, along with comments made by a Norwegian actress about Paris's rivals.

Rogge said he had warned the organisers of the 2006 Winter Games in Turin to step up their preparations, and asked for more support from Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

"There is no peril. The Games will be good, but there is a nuance between good Games, excellent Games and superb Games," he added.