India, Oct. 3 -- 'Do you think we're in with a chance?' asked William.

'An outside chance,' responded the Hawk. 'But don't hold your breath.'

Commander William Warwick and his superior officer, Jack Hawksby, Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, were seated at the back of the packed ballroom in the Raffles Convention Centre in Singapore. For now, they were observers, not participants. Only if London won the bid to host the 2012 Olympics would they become participants.

Five cities had made it to the final round, but only one would be returning home with the gold medal. There were no prizes for second place in this particular race. Although five cities were lined up in the starting blocks, everyone in the room knew that ther...