Olympic Dream Begins for Leipzig

The eastern German city of Leipzig is one step closer to its goal of hosting the 2012 Olympics. On Thursday city officials handed the International Olympic Committee a 65-page questionnaire detailing Leipzig’s plans for the event. German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Interior Minister Otto Schily took the opportunity to kick off the country’s official Olympic campaign, which is designed to get all of Germany rallying behind Leipzig and convince the IOC that Germany is the ideal place for the Olympics. The IOC has until May 18 to decide which of the nine rival cities, including London and New York, will get the official applicant status before a final decision is taken next year.