West Ham wins Olympic stadium bid
West Ham United has been named as the preferred bidder to move into the Olympic Stadium after the London 2012 Games. The club beat a rival bid from Tottenham Hotspur.
West Ham was officially named as the preferred bidder for the showpiece £537 million venue by the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC).
OPLC chair Baroness Ford said the board had considered carefully and come to a unanimous decision that West Ham United should be the long-term tenant.
She said it was a “cracking decision for the community of east London”.
The British Olympic Association said it was a “victory for the reputation of British sport globally”.
The decision still has to be rubber-stamped by the Government and the London Mayor’s office, but it would be a major surprise if it was not accepted.
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Olympic legacy
West Ham’s success – even if they’re relegated from the Premier League – means an athletics track will stay inside the stadium after London 2012
The club, in a joint bid with Newham Council, wants to convert the 80,000-seater stadium into a 60,000-capacity arena for football, athletics, concerts and community use.
It means the future generation of young people will be able to go and run on the track that the Olympics took place on and that is important. Roger Black
Tottenham’s plans, part of a joint bid with AEG sport and entertainment group, was to create a football-only stadium without the track and then to redevelop the existing Crystal Palace athletics stadium.
Olympic 400m medalist Roger Black said the right bid had won: “I understand all the arguments against a running track around a football pitch but ultimately, for once, I think it’s right the Olympics has to win over football.”
He added: “We now have an athletics stadium that could host the World championships or the European championships.
“It means the future generation of young people will be able to go and run on the track that the Olympics took place on and that is important.”
Tim Leiweke, president of Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), has claimed the Olympic Stadium will “go broke in 10 years” if an athletics track is retained.
The OPLC is aiming for a deal to be struck on the stadium and contracts signed by the end of the financial year.
Political reaction
London Mayor Boris Johnson described the decision as a “very significant step” forward towards delivering the Olympic Park legacy.
He said: “This milestone means we now have the prospect of a local football club and a multi-use venue capable of hosting athletics, a range of other sports and a vibrant programme of events for the local community and schools.
“I am thrilled that the Legacy Company board has arrived at a recommendation for me and my colleagues in Government to consider. I am confident that we will be able to respond quickly to the advice of the Legacy Company in making our decision.”
Shadow Olympics minister Tessa Jowell said: “I am delighted that the OPLC board have recommended the joint West Ham-Newham bid today.
“The UK needs an athletics stadium capable of hosting world class events, but also that honours the commitment to the people of east London that it would be their stadium too.
“West Ham’s bid best captures the heart and spirit of the bid that we made for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It meets the promises that we made in Singapore, and best fulfils the criteria that the Olympic Park Legacy Company have set out for a successful bid.”