The chairman of London 2012, who masterminded an unexpected victory over the favourites, Paris, when the last Olympic venue was determined four years ago in Singapore, said all four of the current bidding cities could host "a great Games."

He told insidethegames: "The contest was very close in Singapore, but without wanting to infringe Olympic etiquette I think it was very clear that it was close between two, perhaps three cities, and that there were two weaker bidders.

"For that reason, I think you can safely say that this is a stronger overall bidding process than we saw in Singapore.

"In Copenhagen on Friday you just know that actually any one of these four cities could deliver a great Games.

"I don’t think, being honest, we could have said that about all five cities in Singapore.

"Right across the board, city for city, this is probably the highest quality final run-in we have seen."

Not surprisingly, Coe was unwilling to say who his money would be on.

He said: "Even if I was made to do that I would not have a clear idea about it.

"This is a very, very close competition.

"I think the decision will depend on the presentations, and the mood music."

London’s final presentation, involving youngsters who underlined the city’s emphasis on the benefits success would have for the nation’s youth, was widely viewed as being decisive.

But the diligent efforts of the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in his last-minute lobbying of International Olympic Committee (IOC) members was also seen as being highly influential.

Coe acknowledged the power of the Blair factor – but denied that the presence of a leader of state at the decisive Session was now obligatory for any city with serious Olympic ambitions.

He said; "I don’t think you can say that bids will now be at a disadvantage if they cannot offer a head of state in support.

"I don’t think IOC members would be sitting there and saying that cities would be at a disadvantage because there wasn’t a head of state or a President there.

"There is no template in these campaigns.

"Of course having the Prime Minister in Singapore was helpful...very helpful, because first of all he was there, and that showed a national commitment, a national political commitment.

"All those kind of guarantees are always very important.

" It wasn’t just that he was there, and that he spoke to the IOC members –  he had 33 or 34 carefully choreographed one-on-one meetings with IOC members.

"It wasn’t just that he appeared in the presentation, even though he wasn’t able to stay for the result because he had to fly back to host the G8 summit in Scotland.

"It was also because at that point he was very well briefed, and really understood what the bid was all about.

"His was a long association, and every time we asked, he was there.

"So of course it will be important for bidding cities now – but it’s also important for leaders or prime ministers to understand what their campaigns are all about."

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