LONDON -- With a month to go, Paris remains the city to beat in the race for the 2012 Olympics.
The French capital solidified its front-runner status Monday, receiving a glowing review in an IOC report evaluating the five cities in the most competitive and glamorous field in Olympic bid history.
London and Madrid also earned high praise in the 123-page report of the International Olympic's evaluation commission.
New York received a mixed assessment as the IOC cited a number of concerns, including uncertainty over its proposed Olympic stadium. New York suffered another setback Monday when a state government board rejected a plan to build a $2 billion stadium in Manhattan.
Long-shot Moscow took criticism for its lack of detailed plans.
The report didn't rank the five cities, but will serve as a guide for the 117 eligible voting IOC members when they cast secret ballots in Singapore on July 6.
Paris has been considered the favorite since the start of the campaign nearly two years ago, and Monday's report only reinforced that status.
The report's summary praised the "very high quality" of the Paris and London bid proposals. Madrid and New York were cited for "high quality" presentations.
The report was based on visits to the five cities by the IOC evaluation commission.
The document focuses on technical issues such as venue construction, transportation, hotel accommodations, financing and security. The vote in Singapore, however, will also hinge on geopolitical issues and other factors.
"You do not dismiss any city on the basis of this report," London bid chairman Sebastian Coe said.
British bookmakers reacted to the report by keeping Paris as the odds-on favorite, with Ladbrokes listing the French city at 1-6 and William Hill at 1-4. London was second at 7-2 and 11-4.
The IOC report praised Paris, among other things, for its sports concept, "excellent accommodation," and "high capacity and quality" transportation.
