The International Olympic Committee’s Evaluation Commission has praised the London 2012 bid following its four-day visit to tour potential venues and meet the bid team.

The commission said it was impressed by the level of government support, the involvement of athletes and the passion behind the bid.

“Athletes are at the heart of the Olympic movement and to see them fully involved, fully integrated and making a commitment is important,” said Nawal El Moutawakelm, chair of the commission.

“The bid committee must be congratulated on the quality of the candidature, the quality of the presentations and the professionalism with which the whole process has been handled,” she added.

During the visit, the 16-strong team heard presentations, visited existing venues and the proposed site for the Olympic Park and Village as well as meeting government ministers and the opposition leaders and attending a formal dinner at Buckingham Palace with the Queen and the Princess Royal.

They were also driven along the tunnel through which the seven-minute bullet trains between Kings Cross and Stratford will run.

London 2012 chief executive Keith Mills said: “I can best describe this week as mission accomplished. We set out to achieve four things: technical superiority, organisational ability, a great welcome in London and to show the IOC a great team. I think we accomplished that.”

The IOC's team has now moved on to New York and has been welcomed by New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg, but US President George W Bush – unlike his European head of state counterparts – will play no part in the proceedings.

Commentators have suggested that in the light of Bush's unpopularity with some IOC members, his absence may actually help the bid, but controversy still surrounds the dispute over the proposed Olympic stadium.

The site – which is currently a railway yard owned by the financially-troubled Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) – would house the Olympic venue, and afterwards the New York Jets, but Cablevision, the TV company which owns the nearby Madison Square Garden arena, has tabled a $600m offer for the land in an attempt to block the development, forcing the MTA to open the sale to other bidders.