Paris deserves 2012 Games - Armstrong

American Lance Armstrong, record six-times winner of the Tour de France, believes Paris deserves to host the 2012 Olympics.

New York, London, Madrid and Moscow are the other cities bidding to stage the Games.

"It's a complicated question. To be honest, I believe Paris deserves the Games," Armstrong was quoted as saying by daily Le Parisien.

"Paris had the best bid for 2008 and it eventually went to Beijing, probably for some other reasons. But the Paris bid is great, that's for sure," he said.

"Paris is a legend city on this planet.

"It's a little delicate for me to express an opinion. Paris would be a marvellous city but on the other hand New York would also deserve to have the Games.

"Even if they (New York) don't win in 2012 they could always try again in 2016."

The International Olympic Committee's Evaluation Commission is in Paris and on Wednesday began assessing the French capital's bid. The IOC decision will be made in July.

¤ Lance Armstrong has pulled out of the Paris-Nice race with a sore throat, his Discovery team said. Armstrong will return to his training camp in Spain. The fourth stage of the first major race of the season took place yesterday.