TheOlympic Board confirmed at its meeting today (19th March) that Shooting for theLondon 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games will remain at the RoyalArtillery Barracks, Woolwich, south-east London.
As announced last year,following the publication of the KPMG report, over the last three months theOlympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has been carrying out feasibility work on theNational Shooting Centre in Bisley to consider it as a possible alternative site.
The ODA has also carried out feasibility work looking at Barking Reach, vacantland that was formally the site of Barking Reach Power Station in east London.
This work is now completed and the Olympic Board discussed the results today.The Board decided that Shooting should remain at Woolwich and a planningapplication will be submitted for the venue.
The Board agreed that feasibility work would continue into Barking Reach butonly as a reserve option.
The Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich was the choice of venue as stated inthe Candidate File during the Bid phase. Hosting the event at Woolwich allowsLondon 2012 to deliver a “compact“ Games close to the Olympic Village. Approvalhas been obtained from the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) andthe International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the venue. A significant amountof design and detailed site assessment and consultation has been undertaken atWoolwich, and this detailed feasibility work will now continue in close cooperationwith the Ministry of Defence.
The Board ruled out the choice of Bisley as the Shooting venue because of thecost, operational complexity and time risks associated with the proposals.Specific issues were:
Cost
None of the existing ranges at Bisley are suitable for Olympic and Paralympic competition thus requiring new ranges to be built; The facilities at Bisley would require additional athlete and officials’ accommodation with the possibility of building a satellite village;Operational complexity
Land ownership at Bisley Camp is complex and separate agreements would need to be made with the different gun clubs who are based on the site for exclusive usage at Games-time;Time risks
The Bisley site lies within a greenbelt area adjacent to housing and is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and securing planning consent for this was a significant risk.Tessa Jowell, Minister for theOlympic and Paralympic Games, said: 'Today’s decision confirms that the London2012 Olympic and Paralympic Shooting events will take place at the RoyalArtillery Barracks in Woolwich, allowing us to deliver the compact Games thatwe promised in 2005. I would like to thank the teams from Barking and Bisleyfor their cooperation throughout the review process.'
Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee said: 'The ODAhas conducted a thorough review process of all three locations. However, theBoard still feels that Woolwich is the best choice of venue. It is an iconicvenue close to the Olympic Village, with a strong Shooting heritage, and is oneof the Greenwich cluster of Olympic and Paralympic venues. We will now workclosely with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and all interested parties to ensureall arrangements are in place for a first class venue for Shooting.'
Horst Schreiber, Secretary General of the ISSF said: 'We are delighted thatWoolwich has been selected as the Shooting venue for 2012. The ISSF is in fullsupport of the selected venue and we believe that the Royal Artillery Barrackswill host a stunning event. It is a more appropriate venue than Bisley thatmeets all our requirements and allows our athletes to stay in the OlympicVillage, reducing their travel time each day and bringing together athletesfrom all sports. We look forward to working with LOCOG and all parties indeveloping detailed plans.'
An Army spokesman said, 'Woolwich Barracks is an historic Defence location andthe MoD is working closely with the London 2012 Olympic organisers to enablethe shooting events to take place there. We are confident that together we canprovide a first class venue with minimal disruption to military duties, Armypersonnel and their families.'
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