IOC agrees to 2012 venue switch 27/11/2009 |
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The International Olympic Committee has approved plans to move the badminton and rhythmic gymnastics events at London 2012 to Wembley Arena.
Both were due to take place at a temporary £40m facility in Greenwich but London 2012 officials proposed the move to cut costs in the wake of the recession.
The IOC agreed to the venue switch because of the “exceptional circumstances” but denied it would set a precedent for future host cities to change their plans.
Denis Oswald, head of the IOC’s co-ordination commission, said at the end of a two-day visit to London: “We just hope we won’t have a world financial crisis every four years.
“This is, I think, exceptional circumstances, and when we had the request of using an existing facility rather than building a temporary facility, which would not leave any legacy, we found it was reasonable.
“But it does not mean that we would accept it under any circumstances.”
A final decision on the venue change will not be taken until early next year when the relevant sports federations have discussed the proposal at their board meetings.
Oswald said he had been impressed with what he had seen during his latest visit. “London is exemplary to all bidding cities,” he added.
“Most people think about putting their legacy company in place after the Games but London has its in place three years before the Games take place.”
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