Culture secretary, Tessa Jowell, has announced the government will back London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games.

She said a bid would be good for sport, good for London and good for the whole of the UK. A decision on whether or not the government would support the bid was to have been made earlier in the year but was postponed in the face of the war in Iraq. The announcement has been welcomed by both sporting and tourism organisations.

British Olympic Association (BOA) chair, Craig Reedie, said: The decision taken today is the most significant for British sport in generations. The aspiration to host the world's greatest sporting event gives our country, our capital city and all our sportsmen a unique opportunity to excel in every area.