POSTED: December 15th 2010
NewsUpdate
British Olympic stars back demand for London 2012 track to stay after Games
KEIR RADNEDGE / Sports Features Communications
LONDON, Dec 15: Steve Cram, Daley Thompson and Kelly Holmes are among a group of British Olympians who have put their names to an open letter urging London 2012 authorities to keep the stadium running track after the Games.
Their concern is aimed directly at proposals by Premier League club Tottenham - in collaboration with AEG which manages the O2 Arena - to take over the stadium; this would result in the running track being removed.
A rival plan, submitted by West Ham United in a collaboration with Newham Council, would see the stadium evolve into a 60,000-capacity arena for football, athletics, concerts and community use.
Both are being considered by the Olympic Park Legacy Company, the organisation responsible for the long-term management of the Stratford site.
The open letter has been endorsed by Cram, Thompson, Holmes, Alan Wells, Steve Backley, Roger Black, Jamie Baulch, Lynn Davies, Brendan Foster, Katharine Merry, David Moorcroft, Alan Pascoe, Wendy Sly, Ian Stewart and the Paralympian Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson.
They want the OPLC to honour the 2005 pledge of "an athletics legacy in the form of a world-class stadium."
The letter states: "Here was a stadium that would see young athletes competing for an English schools title run on the same track as Usain Bolt, where Premiership footballers could play while club athletes train. Here was somewhere that could play host to Twenty20 cricket one week and a pop concert the next.
Legacy value
"There is no doubt a legacy of bricks and mortar can work. Look to the Velodrome in Manchester, a true legacy of the 2002 Commonwealth Games that is paying dividends every time British cyclists compete on the world stage.
"As Olympians we are all ardent sports fans and that is why we believe the Olympic legacy has to be the Olympic Stadium complete with track. It would be unacceptable for the stadium to lose the track and effectively become an Olympic Stadium with no Olympic connection or legacy.
"We urge the decision makers to ensure the track remains post 2012 . . . to bring to life a sporting promise made to a whole community for generations to come."
Tottenham's proposal has already been deemed "completely unacceptable" by UK Athletics which opposes breaking a Games-winning pledge to create a permanent world-class athletics venue.
West Ham, however, want to create a 60,000-capacity arena for football, athletics, concerts and community use in a collaboration with Newham Council, a bid endorsed by UKA.
Earlier this week London 2012 chairman Lord Coe told a Culture, Media and Sport committee that his organising committee was "not party" to the bids process by either Tottenham or West Ham.
Coe, who is also vice-president of the International Association of Athletics Federations, added: "I'm loath to get into this discussion. It is not up to us. The OPLC is conducting the process of the stadium along the recognisable lines that commitments have been made on the basis of future use."
Keywords · London 2012 · Cram · Thompson · Holmes · Tottenham · West Ham · Coe
For more information contact:
Laura Walden ()
All original materials contained in this section are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Sports Features Communications, Inc the owner of that content. It is prohibited to alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.
