IOC to be told that London budget is under control
12/06/2007 |
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London Olympic organisers will today move to reassure an inspection committee from the International Olympic Committee that the budget for the 2012 games is under control after warnings from Gordon Brown about rising construction costs.
A 16-strong IOC coordination commission will begin a three-day inspection tour of the capital today, the first of what will be annual visits between now and 2012, with London keen to stress that progress is ahead of schedule. Since the IOC's last official visit in February a revised budget of £9.3bn, three times the original estimate, has been agreed and the commission will receive a detailed breakdown of the budget during the visit.
Brown warned the number of construction projects could drive costs up but both the London organising committee and the Olympic Delivery Authority are confident the budget is under control. The ODA will point to the completion, on time and under budget, of two tunnels that will carry power lines under the Olympic site as a sign that progress is being made.
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games is confident the work is on track, having received a glowing report from the IOC's first project review, with only three areas receiving less than top marks.
Brown's comments on cost come as he considers how to restructure the organisation of the Olympics once he becomes prime minister. It is thought the "heavy lifting" of building the Games infrastructure will be shifted away from the Department for Culture Media and Sport but a senior Olympic figure has warned against too much government interference.
Sir Craig Reedie, Britain's senior IOC member and one of the architects of the winning London bid, said: "We now have the budget in place and the structures in place and I believe the politicians should now take a step back and allow the experts to get on with it. Governments generally are not great at major capital projects and having put together an outstanding group of people in Locog and the ODA, they should now stand back and allow them to get on with it."
Finance and venue construction are just two of 17 areas about which the committee will receive updates. Communications, commercial progress, security and transport will also be covered, with committee members travelling on a Eurostar test train from Stratford to St Pancras, the route the Olympic Javelin trains will cover in seven minutes in 2012.
(Source: Guardian.co.uk)
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