MADRID — Spain's prime minister believes Madrid has "reasonable hope" of landing the 2016 Olympics.

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero met with the 13-member International Olympic Committee evaluation team on Tuesday.

"I feel reasonable hope about our bid," Zapatero said. "We deserve the Games."

Zapatero said Madrid's bid was strong due to unity at all governmental levels, with 77 percent of infrastructure ready to use, and because of the legacy of the 1992 Barcelona Games.

The IOC committee arrived in Madrid on Monday for a five-day tour that will continue through Friday after having already visited fellow bid cities Chicago, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro.

With "monumental messages to transmit" to the IOC team, Zapatero also outlined Madrid's readiness, experience and current "golden age" in sport.

"We are supported by the success of the 1992 Barcelona Games, which showed the world that Spain knows how to do these things," said Zapatero, who is expected to be in Copenhagen on Oct. 2 when the IOC selects the host city. "We have great capacity to show this to the world."

Spain is the leading tennis nation thanks to top-ranked Rafael Nadal and a Davis Cup triumph, while cyclist Alberto Contador is the favorite to win his second Tour de France title in July.

Spain is also an early favorite for soccer's 2010 World Cup after its European Championship triumph last summer broke a 44-year title drought and put it on top of FIFA's world rankings.

"Spain is living a golden age of sport. We are the best in many sports, especially in (soccer)," said Zapatero, who is an avid Barcelona fan. "In many sports our athletes are shining as never before. And across the country there is a movement toward Olympic sports."

The IOC commission, chaired by Morrocco's Nawal el Moutawakel, will spend Tuesday going over the bid book before visiting infrastructure — planned and already built — on Wednesday and Thursday. The visit ends on Friday.