Olympic Board blasted over stadium decision 20/09/2010 |
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The London Assembly has slammed the Olympic Board for pursuing an athletics legacy for the Olympic Stadium.
The Assembly’s economic development, culture, sport and tourism committee ruled that the plans to transform the stadium from its 80,000 capacity to a 25,000-seat athletics arena were “flawed” and contributed to delays in securing a lasting legacy.
The committee also raised questions about the amount of unsourced money required to convert the stadium and nearby media centre into workable premises after the Games, reports the Daily Telegraph.
However, the promise of leaving an athletics track for major competitions in London was a central part of the Olympic bid and found much favour with the voting International Olympic Committee members.
At the time, the Olympic Board comprised the Mayor of London, the sports minister, the head of the London organising committee and the British Olympic Committee.
The Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) will decide between a number of post-Games proposals for the stadium, including one from West Ham United to make it the football club’s new home.
“The Olympic Board made the wrong decision when opting for an athletics legacy and that decision could have serious consequences for the OPLC and for whoever ultimately takes over the stadium,” committee chairman Len Duvall said.
“The only sustainable future for the stadium is regular, high-capacity events and realistically that means football or rugby. Only then will we see a stadium that pays for itself and delivers a significant amount of local jobs.
“Put simply, an elite 25,000-seat athletics stadium is not, and was never going to be, in the long-term interests of the East End or of the taxpayer.”
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