London Mayor says 2012 stadium an option for rugby cup 29/07/2009 |
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London's 2012 Olympic Stadium could be used as one of the venues for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, the city's Mayor Boris Johnson said on Tuesday.
Reacting to the decision of the International Rugby Board (IRB) to award the tournament to England, Johnson said the showpiece bowl in east London could be used alongside football stadiums such as Arsenal's Emirates and Wembley.
"London has some of the finest sporting venues in the world -- Twickenham, of course, as well as Wembley and the Emirates Stadium," Johnson said in a statement.
"But from 2012 there will be another, excellent new venue, the Olympic Stadium. We will discuss the option of it providing another base with the RFU and work with them to ensure the 2015 Rugby World Cup is the best ever tournament."
The organising committee for the 2012 Games insist the legacy of the 500 million pounds stadium will be for track and field while Olympic Minister Tessa Jowell has already ruled it out as part of England's 2018 football World Cup bid.
However, with the stadium being reduced from 80,000 seats during the Games to 25,000 in legacy it would be more suitable as a venue for rugby internationals.
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) quickly distanced themselves from Johnson's comments.
"The Olympic Stadium was not part of our bid for Rugby World Cup 2015 and we haven't had any conversations with London about its inclusion," a spokesman said.
(Source: Reuters)
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