By Alister Doyle
OSLO (Reuters) - Pope John Paul (news - web sites) is runaway favorite to win the Nobel Peace Prize Friday ahead of former Czech President Vaclav Havel, at least according to the bookmaker that says it is the first to take bets on the award.
The winner of the 10 million Swedish crowns ($1.32 million) prize, perhaps the world's top accolade, will be announced in Oslo Friday at 0900 GMT (5 a.m. EDT) from a record field of 165 candidates.
"We've had a lot of interest in the pope," said Gerard Daffy at Australian-based Centerbet. "We're offering (U.S. President) George W. Bush and (British Prime Minister) Tony Blair (news - web sites) at 200/1 but haven't had a single bet."
Centerbet had the pope Thursday at 5-2 on -- you bet one dollar and get back $1.40 if he wins. Havel, who helped bring down the Iron Curtain in a "Velvet Revolution," trailed him at 7/1 with Irish rock star Bono and Brazilian (news - web sites) President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva tied on 10/1.
Geir Lundestad, the head of the Norwegian Nobel Institute who attends meetings of the five-member committee, said it was the first time he had seen a bookmaker advertising the prize.
He laughed when asked who he was putting his money on.
The ailing pope, who marks the 25th anniversary of his election this month, has won praise this year for preaching reconciliation and for ensuring that the U.S.-led Iraq (news - web sites) war was not seen as a crusade by Christians against Muslims.
But some Nobel watchers think the Pontiff is too controversial in liberal Norway and say dissident-turned-president Havel is a safer bet. The pope is often bitterly criticized for opposing use of condoms, especially to slow the spread of AIDS (news - web sites).
VELVET REVOLUTION
Irwin Abrams, a U.S. authority on the award, said he favored Havel -- who has been nominated many times before and who stepped down as Czech president in February.
"The pope has certainly been an important influence for world peace, but many would feel that his conservative theological doctrines have stood in the way of the Catholic Church's progress in today's world," Abrams told Reuters.
And Stein Toennesson, director the Peace Research Institute, Oslo, who had put the pope top of his list of candidates last month, shifted to say Havel was "perhaps the most likely candidate."
Abrams said Brazil's Lula, for instance, had had too little time to "demonstrate his promise as peacemaker" with campaigns to end hunger since coming to power in January.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter won last year.
Other candidates for Centerbet are former Illinois governor George Ryan at 13/1 for granting clemency to 167 death row inmates and Shirin Ebadi at 21/1 for working for women's and children's rights in Iran.
French President Jacques Chirac, the European Union (news - web sites), the Salvation Army, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya are all at 26/1.
Daffy said he would limit payouts to about 500 Australian dollars ($347) to clients he did not know, just in case a committee member who knew the winner tried to place a bet.
"It's not worth them letting the cat out of the bag to win that amount. And they'd lose their credibility," he said.
($1=7.576 Swedish Crown) ($1=1.440 Australian Dollar)
OSLO (Reuters) - Pope John Paul (news - web sites) is runaway favorite to win the Nobel Peace Prize Friday ahead of former Czech President Vaclav Havel, at least according to the bookmaker that says it is the first to take bets on the award.
The winner of the 10 million Swedish crowns ($1.32 million) prize, perhaps the world's top accolade, will be announced in Oslo Friday at 0900 GMT (5 a.m. EDT) from a record field of 165 candidates.
"We've had a lot of interest in the pope," said Gerard Daffy at Australian-based Centerbet. "We're offering (U.S. President) George W. Bush and (British Prime Minister) Tony Blair (news - web sites) at 200/1 but haven't had a single bet."
Centerbet had the pope Thursday at 5-2 on -- you bet one dollar and get back $1.40 if he wins. Havel, who helped bring down the Iron Curtain in a "Velvet Revolution," trailed him at 7/1 with Irish rock star Bono and Brazilian (news - web sites) President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva tied on 10/1.
Geir Lundestad, the head of the Norwegian Nobel Institute who attends meetings of the five-member committee, said it was the first time he had seen a bookmaker advertising the prize.
He laughed when asked who he was putting his money on.
The ailing pope, who marks the 25th anniversary of his election this month, has won praise this year for preaching reconciliation and for ensuring that the U.S.-led Iraq (news - web sites) war was not seen as a crusade by Christians against Muslims.
But some Nobel watchers think the Pontiff is too controversial in liberal Norway and say dissident-turned-president Havel is a safer bet. The pope is often bitterly criticized for opposing use of condoms, especially to slow the spread of AIDS (news - web sites).
VELVET REVOLUTION
Irwin Abrams, a U.S. authority on the award, said he favored Havel -- who has been nominated many times before and who stepped down as Czech president in February.
"The pope has certainly been an important influence for world peace, but many would feel that his conservative theological doctrines have stood in the way of the Catholic Church's progress in today's world," Abrams told Reuters.
And Stein Toennesson, director the Peace Research Institute, Oslo, who had put the pope top of his list of candidates last month, shifted to say Havel was "perhaps the most likely candidate."
Abrams said Brazil's Lula, for instance, had had too little time to "demonstrate his promise as peacemaker" with campaigns to end hunger since coming to power in January.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter won last year.
Other candidates for Centerbet are former Illinois governor George Ryan at 13/1 for granting clemency to 167 death row inmates and Shirin Ebadi at 21/1 for working for women's and children's rights in Iran.
French President Jacques Chirac, the European Union (news - web sites), the Salvation Army, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya are all at 26/1.
Daffy said he would limit payouts to about 500 Australian dollars ($347) to clients he did not know, just in case a committee member who knew the winner tried to place a bet.
"It's not worth them letting the cat out of the bag to win that amount. And they'd lose their credibility," he said.
($1=7.576 Swedish Crown) ($1=1.440 Australian Dollar)
