"In these bid documents, there is always an element of unreality, " says Matthew Burbank, a political-science professor at the University of Utah who studies the Olympics.

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Each country's bid documents will set out detailed breakdowns of potential host cities and venues, infrastructure, and financial estimates for how much the tournament would cost and how much revenue it would generate.

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His son Omri recently pleaded guilty to providing false testimony and falsifying documents following an investigation into corruption in the funding of Mr Sharon's bid to lead Likud.

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