The Sikh Federation (UK) and National Council of Gurdwaras, representing some 350 affiliated and member Gurdwaras and Sikh organisations in the UK, is in the process of writing to each of the 120+ members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) who will be voting in early July of this year to decide which city will host the 2012 Olympic Games. The IOC members will be meeting in Singapore to decide the host city for the 2012 Summer Olympics and will chose between Paris, London, New York, Madrid and Moscow. It has been widely reported that the final round of voting is likely to produce a two-horse race, which will be between Paris and London. Bhai Amrik Singh, the Chair of the Sikh Federation (UK), in the letter to each IOC member is appealing for the Paris bid for 2012 to be rejected as long as the laws and practices in France discriminate against those that wish to freely practice their faith. Issuing the press statement the Federation said: "A year earlier we publicly stated that if the law in France was implemented to deny Sikh children the right to wear the turban we would have little choice but to lobby against the Paris bid for 2012. In a meeting at the French Embassy in London in January 2004 we informed them that we meant business. We believe it is inconceivable for such a prestigious international event to be hosted in a country where the laws are infringing the basic human right of religious freedom." A special appeal has been made to IOC members representing nations where religious freedoms are recognised as one of the most basic and most precious freedoms. Bhai Narinderjit Singh, the General Secretary of the Sikh Federation (UK), said: "As the ban is on the Christian cross, Jewish skullcap, Muslim hijab and Sikh turban we believe a number of nations will heed our concerns and reject the Paris 2012 bid. The French Government has an opportunity to rethink its ban before the July 2005 Olympic decision and publicly commit to change the law to allow outward expressions of individual faith within educational and other state establishments." The Sikh Federation (UK) has also made an appeal to Christian and Muslim organisations across the globe to ensure no Christian or Islamic State supports the Paris 2012 bid. A Federation spokesman said: "Despite the relatively small size of the worldwide Sikh community, compared to the Christian and Islamic faiths and our limited resources we have no difficulty in taking the lead in challenging the law in France using more imaginative methods. Our strategy to overturn the French ban has many angles, political and diplomatic pressure, legal action and other forms of direct action. We are now turning our attention to target France where it will hurt financially. There is talk of boycotting French goods, which will take time to have an effect. However, the possible loss of the Paris Olympics or an international embargo on the purchase of Defence equipment will hit France hard. We hope the French Government will heed our warning that we are serious in our intentions."