IOC Member on Stadium Bidding: Promise Must Be Fulfilled
Craig Reedie says England can ill afford another unfulfilled promise as the athletics legacy of London Olympic Stadium hangs in the balance.
"In future, if British sport wishes to host major events, it is vital that proper facilities exist and equally that, as bidders, we are liked and above all trusted," the IOC Executive Board member wrote Wednesday in an op-ed published by London’s The Daily Telegraph.
Reedie compares Tottenham Hotspur’s plans to renege on the athletics legacy promised to the IOC by British bid leadership in 2005 to the football-only fate of London’s famed Wembley Stadium.
"One could argue that problems started in the early 1990s, when the Government’s declared intention to create a national stadium for football, athletics and rugby league was hi-jacked by football," Reedie recalled.
"At that time the Olympic world, led by Juan Antonio Samaranch, could not quite believe that the opportunity to copy the new flexible Stade de France had been ignored."
The Spurs are competing for post-Games stadium use against a joint bid from Newham Council and West Ham, a rival English Premier League club.
The Hammers pledge to retain both the Olympic running track and an adjacent warm-up loop for community use, a move that has London 2012 chief Sebastian Coe, UK Athletics chairman Ed Warner, European Athletics president Hansjorg Wirz and sprint legend Frank Fredericks all backing the east London bid.
Reedie insists Tottenham’s plans to demolish the $878 million stadium and rebuild a bespoke football venue in its place would fly in the face of everything London 2012 leadership worked for.
"Let there be no doubt — a track in the stadium was promised," wrote Reedie.
"Those who gave the undertakings, Tessa Jowell in the official presentation, Seb Coe and myself, over many months of lobbying, worked hard to overcome the indecision and confusion of the past."
The Olympic Park Legacy Company is expected to choose a preferred bidder on Jan. 28.
The decision will come without the influence of OPLC board member Tessa Sanderson, a javelin gold medalist at the 1984 Olympics who also has a personal consultancy contract with Newham Council. The OPLC revealed the conflict of interest Wednesday and will exclude Sanderson from the stadium bidding saga.
Assembly Wants Public Funding
The London Assembly warned of a possible dire future for London residents, if public funding isn’t invested in the Olympic Park.
In a motion passed on Wednesday, the Assembly called for public money to be spent on the Park.
"London won the Games on the basis of a promise to transform one of the country's most disadvantaged areas" said Assembly Member Dee Doocey.
"That means a legacy of mixed communities, with new schools, health centers and local facilities. If private developers are left to determine the fate of the site, there is a danger that the homes will be designed to attractwealthy Londoners at the expense of social housing and local people. "
"Without public investment there is a real danger that developers will be left to turn the Olympic Park into an oasis of wealth, out ofthe reach of local residents" Doocey added.
John Biggs, who seconded the motion, said: "the reality is that the promised regeneration of the Olympic Park won't be achieved without some form of public funding. The key is to ensure that every penny is well spent."
"We need this investment to unlock the incredible potential of the area, to create sustainable communities and invest in London's future. Unless we get this right now, it will come back to haunt us."
Atos Origin Begins Testing of London Tech
Testing of the technology behind London 2012 is underway.
Atos Origin announced Wednesday its 22,000 square feet Technology Lab is up and running, as tests begin on the 500,000 lines of code needed to run an initial batch of seven sports, including athletics, tennis, basketball, volleyball and triathlon.
"We are now drawing on our extensive experience of delivering the technology infrastructure and systems for previous Games," the I.T. company’s Olympic chief Patrick Adiba said in a statement.
"The start of today’s tests marks the successful delivery of a major milestone for Atos Origin in our preparations for the Games."
The French consulting company is a TOP Sponsor of the IOC serving as I.T. partner since the Salt Lake Olympics.
Atos Origin will put 900 servers and 9,500 computers to work during the 2012 Games.
In the meantime, its systems will undergo 200,000 hours of testing to ensure a hiccup-free showing on sport’s biggest stage.
"The technology for London 2012 - like the athletes - is in full training for the Games," LOCOG chair Sebastian Coe said in Wednesday’s statement, "and there are no second chances."
British Handball to London
Britain will make its debut in handball at the London Olympics.
On Wednesday, the British Olympic Association announced that the British handball teams are able to utilize Host Nation Qualification Places in order to compete in London.
Andy Hunt, BOA chief executive said "British male and female handball players are competing in high level club competition in Europe and getting the experience they need to deliver a credible performance at the London 2012 Olympics. I am confident that handball will be using the experience of London 2012 to ensure sustained competitive excellence and use London 2012 as a platform to qualify by right for future Olympics as well as a springboard for growth and capturing the interest and imagination of the British public."
In order to qualify for Host Nation Places, federations must demonstrate "the ability to deliver a credible performance" during the Olympics and a "long-term strategy to deliver a meaningful legacy as a result of the profile and visibility associated with competing in the Games".
Other sports could receive Host National Qualifying Places in the lead up to the Games.
Written by Matthew Grayson and Ed Hula III.