2012 Decision Is Expected This Morning

After five hours of presentations in Singapore from Paris, New York, Moscow, London and Madrid and a report from its evaluation commission, the International Olympic Committee is expected to determine the site of the 2012 Summer Games by secret ballot just after 7:30 a.m. EST.

Paris, which bid unsuccessfully for the Games in 1992 and 2008, and London are widely considered the favorites, but they will have to survive an anonymous selection process that occasionally has rewarded underdogs and nearly always offers surprises.

One city will be eliminated in each round of voting until one obtains a majority of votes.

There are 116 voting members of the IOC, but no more than 100 will cast votes in the first round, as nationals of the contending cities may not take part until their cities are eliminated.

IOC members are volunteers from a variety of backgrounds -- Olympic athletes, heads of sports federations, business people, royalty, to name a few -- who serve eight-year terms as volunteers.

-- Amy Shipley