Paris officially confirmed its bid to host the Summer Olympic Games in 2012 on Wednesday.

"We are claiming the honour of staging the 2012 Olympic Games," the Mayor of the French capital, Bertrand Delanoe, told a press conference.

New York, Madrid, Havana, Leipzig and London are already in the race. Moscow should officially join them on Friday. A Brazilian bid is also expected from either Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo.

Cities have until July 15 to declare their bids. The winner will be announced by the International Olympic Committee in July 2005.

Paris, which last hosted the summer Olympics in 1924, stood for the 2008 Games but lost to Beijing. The 2004 Games will be held in Athens.

France hosted the Winter Games in 1924 in Chamonix, in 1968 in Grenoble and in 1992 in Albertville.

Paris's candidacy will rely heavily on the Stade de France, which was the stage of the 1998 soccer World Cup final and will host the athletics world championships in August and the 2007 rugby union World Cup final.