As excitement mounts in anticipation of next Friday's vote for the 2004 Olympics, Cape Town has risen to second behind Rome on London bookmakers' lists.

The city has come from behind in the past month and is receiving increasingly positive coverage in the international media. Previous front-runners Athens and Rome have both been damaged by squabbling following the World Athletics Championships in Athens earlier this month.

Cape Town appears to hold most of the trump cards as the International Olympic Committee's (IOC)111 members gather in Lausanne, Switzerland, for the most important task in their pampered existence, one on which they are called to deliberate every four years.

Although representatives of the five bidding cities - Athens, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Rome and Stockholm - will be conducting a last, frantic round of lobbying with IOC members, the outcome of the vote could hinge on whoever delivers the most passionate message during the final presentations to the IOC before it goes behind closed doors for the secret ballot.

In that respect Cape Town cannot be matched. The bid company is remaining evasive about President Nelson Mandela's involvement but he will be in Switzerland next week on an official state visit and is expected in Lausanne on Thursday.

"If he's there he will be doing the presentation," says Cape Town bid committee finance director Michael Fuller. That said, it could be taken as a given that Mandela will be presenting Cape Town's case - the biggest fear of the other cities. In emotional stakes, nobody carries bigger clout than the world's most popular man.

Mandela will not have to do it all on his own, though. At around 250, Cape Town is taking the smallest delegation to Lausanne but it is a mission that aims to have the most impact.

They will be accompanied by top African athletes including Frankie Fredericks of Namibia, Maria Mutda of Mozambique and South African Olympic champions Penny Heyns and Josiah Thugwane.
"There will be two aspects to the lobbying. Firstly, the IOC members need to be comfortable that the technical aspects have been properly addressed, and secondly they need to know we have the support of government," says Fuller.

"The government will be represented there at national, provincial and local level and we'll also have some senior private-sector people with us. Each person has a role to play and we aim to provide the IOC members with a comfort zone that will enable them to vote for us."

Cape Town will set up an office in Lausanne and a team has already left to ensure that everything is running smoothly by the time the main lobby group arrives on Monday. A display stand at the IOC hotel will provide technical and planning information to IOC members.

The crucial, final presentation will include a specially commissioned video from South Africa's top film director, Anant Singh.

While for some the jury may still be out on the merits of staging the Games, Fuller believes that win or lose, the exercise has been worthwhile. "I think it has been good for the country and a very positive experience. I can certainly say without hesitation that the bid has increased South Africa's profile internationally and the downside has been minimal," he says.