IOC wants cities to avoid bidding war

BERLIN -- Determined to avoid a return to the abuses and corruption of the past, IOC president Jacques Rogge warned the five cities vying for the 2012 Olympics to obey ethics rules and stay out of a "bidding war."

Rogge chided New York and London on Wednesday for unveiling incentives in a late push for votes without clearing them first with the International Olympic Committee. He said the IOC could order the cities to withdraw the offers if they weren't included in the official bid documents submitted in November.

"We understand the candidate cities want to do more, but they have to understand where we come from," Rogge said. "We come from a period of excesses, we come from a period of red carpet treatment, we come from a period of where we had a corruption scandal in Salt Lake City. This is something we don't want to repeat."

The IOC ethics commission opened an inquiry Tuesday into whether New York and London broke bidding rules by promising financial, promotional and marketing benefits to sports federations and other parties.

London and New York are competing against Paris, Madrid and Moscow. The IOC will select the host city on July 6 in Singapore.