Locog chair hits out at Spurs plan to remove running track after 2012 games
Lord Coe has spoken out against a bid by Tottenham Hotspurs to demolish most of the 2012 Olympic stadium after the games and rebuild it as a Premier League football ground.
Coe, chair of the 2012 games organisers, Locog, said awarding the stadium to Tottenham would 鈥渢rash鈥 the UK鈥檚 reputation in world sport, following promises in the UK鈥檚 bid to use the games to provide a permanent legacy for athletics.
Spurs鈥 plans would see the running track around the ground removed, instead giving 拢25m to bolster the existing athletics venue at Crystal Palace. The rvial bid by West Ham would see the running track retained, alongside premiership football.
Bosses at the Legacy Company which is making the decision are to meet on Friday to choose between the bids.
Lord Coe, who led the UK bid, said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 really serious that we deliver on what we said we were going to deliver, unless we are prepared to trash our international reputation,鈥 Coe told the BBC. 鈥淚f we don鈥檛, it would be very difficult for us to be taken seriously again for the foreseeable future in the corridors of world sport.鈥
Throwing his weight behind the West Ham bid, he added: 鈥淭he bid was very clear and unambiguous. This was a community facility, multi-sport, track and field鈥 I genuinely don鈥檛 recall a whole heap about bulldozing down a publicly-funded facility, replacing it with a Premiership football club and inspiring a generation of Tottenham season ticket holders, however many there may be on a waiting list.鈥
Spurs鈥 bid would see the 拢496m publicly-funded stadium largely dismantled after just four weeks of use.
However, Coe鈥檚 comments have already been criticized by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, who warned against emotive language surrounding the issue. He told Sky Sports News: 鈥淪urely it鈥檚 a far better legacy for London as a whole if you have a world-class stadium for multi-use within the that is full throughout the year and a dedicated athletics venue in south London.
鈥淪trip out the emotion, take a step back and ask what鈥檚 best for athletics - it鈥檚 surely to have a dedicated facility that鈥檚 available all-year round rather than 20 days a year.
鈥淚鈥檇 don鈥檛 buy the argument of having somewhere to take your grandchild to reminisce on London 2012, what I buy is a dedicated facility which will always be the home of athletics. The original proposal outlined a 25,000-seater stadium in the Olympic Park. But there were other commitments, such as for it not be a white elephant, for it to be a vibrant area.
鈥淐an you honestly say having a 25,000-seater stadium that when it was put out to market no one wanted would contribute to a vibrant area? The answer鈥檚 no.鈥
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