London beat favourite Paris for the right to stage the 2012 Olympic Games on Wednesday in a final showdown after Moscow, New York and Madrid were eliminated from the five-city contest.

International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge announced the British capital as the

winner in a globally televised ceremony after a day of presentations at the IOC session in Singapore's Raffles City complex.

The news was greeted by screams of joy from the London team, long seen as Paris' strongest rival but always thought to be trailing until IOC members gathered in Singapore this week.

The 2008 Olympics will be held in Beijing.