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Lausanne, Switzerland • With Spain's crown prince stealing the show, Madrid made the strongest impression Wednesday among the three cities bidding for the 2020 Olympics.
Madrid, Istanbul and Tokyo made their pitches to IOC members, hoping to seize the momentum in the final two months before the vote.
This was the first time the cities had the chance to present their case directly to the electorate — and Madrid made the most of it.
Counted out by many a few months ago because of Spain's severe financial troubles, Madrid hammered home the message that it offers a low-cost, no-risk bid.
And Crown Prince Felipe, a former Olympic sailor who was Spain's flag-bearer at the 1992 Barcelona Games, charmed the members with his speech.