PARIS Bid slogan: "Love of the Games" Betting odds: 4-9

PARIS BID FACTFILE Population: 2,150,000 Previous Games: 1900, 1924 Failed bids: 2008, 1992 Bid leader: Philippe Baudillon Games budget: �1.4bn Transport/venues: �3.2bn Tickets: 8,500,000, �7-�125 2012 dates: 27 July-12 Aug Paralympics: 29 Aug-9 Sep Official website The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites

Paris will go into the 2012 Olympic vote looking to avoid an unwanted hat-trick after missing out on hosting rights for the 1992 and 2008 Games.

But the French capital has a strong chance to make amends this time, having been considered the favourite throughout the campaign.

Its evaluation report was by far the most glowing of the five rivals, with the International Olympic Committee inspectors finding almost nothing to criticise.

Paris boasts an impressive recent history of staging major events.

It hosted the football World Cup final in 1998 and the 2003 World Athletics Championships, and the Rugby World Cup will be held in France in 2007.

The 71,000-capacity Stade de France, at St Denis in the north of the city, would again take centre stage if Paris wins hosting rights for 2012.

Around it would be built eight other Olympic venues, including an aquatics centre and a superdome for gymnastics.

The Roland Garros tennis complex and the Parc des Princes stadium would form part of a second venue cluster around Porte de Saint-Cloud in the west of the city.

The athletes' village would be located at Batignolles, midway between the two zones and on the main ring road around Paris.

Other plans include beach volleyball beneath the Eiffel Tower, shooting near the former royal palace of Versailles and sailing on the west coast at La Rochelle.