Almost seven in ten London businesses want the 2012 Olympic Games to come to the capital, according to a new survey.
Research, by the London Chamber of Commerce (LCCI), shows that 68 per cent are backing the bid and 47% believe they would benefit in some way if London won its bid to stage the event.
In six months' time the city will find out whether it has won over the International Olympic Committee, which decides who gets the games. It faces strong competition from Paris and New York.
71 per cent of the 357 respondents to the LCCI poll singled out Paris as the most serious rival, compared with just 11 per cent who thought Madrid and New York would be hardest to beat.
The figures emphasise the continuing high level of support in the business community for London 2012, although support has eroded marginally since the chamber of commerce last surveyed opinion on the subject exactly two years ago.
Back then 81% of firms wanted the Games to come to London. And 61% thought that they would benefit in some way. It was before London formally became a candidate city and no details of what a London Olympics would entail had been confirmed.
Dan Bridgett of the London Chamber of Commerce said: "The fact that almost 50% of companies expect to benefit in some way from bringing the games to the capital emphasises the huge economic importance of the 2012 bid.
"Business people are now able to look at the concrete proposals on the table and see exactly how their company could take advantage of a successful London Olympics - a contrast with our survey from two years ago, when nothing had been finalised."
