The announcement was hardly surprising, as the Russian capital was considered the outsider after the IOC's assessments of the five candidate cities. Still, Muscovites were disappointed that the capital had lost in its bid in the opening round of voting.
"It's such a pity, we had hoped the 2012 Olympics would be held in Moscow," said Lena and Yulia, students. "But we love our city and believe it is the best city in the world all the same."
Denis, a manager, and his wife, Marina, said they were upset by the news, but hoped Russian victories in London would make up for the disappointment.
The Moscow authorities had done a great deal to prepare the city for the Olympics, as 65% of sporting facilities are already ready, and another 15% of them are under construction.
However, the preparations were not in vain because the city authorities have focused on mass sports and building high-class sporting facilities. Besides, Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov said Moscow would bid for the 2016 Olympics.
