Mayor backs London Olympic bid

Dwain Chambers is backing a London bid

London mayor Ken Livingstone has urged the British Government to throw its weight behind a bid to host the 2012 Olympics in London.

"If Tony Blair supports the bid it will speed up the process greatly," he said on Friday.

Livingstone was joined by European 100m champion Dwain Chambers and the British Olympic Association in calling for a bid.

Consultants Arup published a report looking into the feasability of a London bid on Friday and the public relations war has already started.

London Olympics 'could make profit'

The mayor said staging the Games could help restore British pride and regenerate parts of London.

But he emphasised the importance of government support to ensuring that the project was a success.

"It would also mean that an Olympic bid could be properly co-ordinated with the restructuring of the Thames Gateway, transforming a major brown-field site into an economic asset," Livingstone said.

"There would be a real impetus to ensure that planned and confirmed transport improvements, especially the Crossrail project, are in place by 2012."

Caborn wary of Olympic bid

Hosting the Olympics could boost London's economy by an estimated £70m.

And it could also help create 3,000 full-time jobs in the East End, where the stadium and athletes' village would be based.