Source: Daily_Mail
Charles Sale: 2012 Olympic Stadium legacy expert left two years ago
There should be huge concern that the No 1 sports legacy expert appointed to oversee the post-2012 future of the Olympic Stadium has played no part in the process for nearly two years.[LNB]Tom Russell was hand-picked as executive director for Olympic Legacy by the London Development Agency in January 2008 after he had masterminded the seamless conversion of the City of Manchester Stadium from athletics to football after the Commonwealth Games. [LNB]Yet he is now working as a consultant in the North West with no sporting ties apart from being a season-ticket holder at Manchester City. [LNB] Centre of attention: Tottenham and West Ham are involved in a high-profile bid battle to occupy the Olympic Stadium after 2012[LNB]He left his Olympic position in April 2009 by mutual consent after not being selected as chief executive of the Olympic Park Legacy Company which he had recommended being formed. [LNB]Russell had alienated the influential figures in the Olympic Delivery Authority and London 2012 with his views about football and athletics being incompatible and the only way of attracting a Barclays Premier League club to Stratford was to build a dedicated football stadium. [LNB]Russell reached that view after no sports tenant wanted to occupy a reduced 25,000-seat stadium and neither Tottenham nor West Ham had any interest at that time in a venue with a running track. [LNB]He believed a stable long-term legacy solution was more important than the track and field promises made to the IOC provided London had a world-class athletics facility. [LNB] More from Charles Sale... Charles Sale: United defender Rafael hoping to avoid video nasty in FA hearing 20/01/11 Charles Sale: New conflict fear over Olympic bids20/01/11 CHARLES SALE: New FA chairman David Bernstein's battle to avoid board clash18/01/11 CHARLES SALE: Watford still keep Young at heart17/01/11 Charles Sale: Barnsley wage-cap rap for players' chief Gordon Taylor13/01/11 Charles Sale: Pearce primed for Team GB Olympic football team job in 201211/01/11 CHARLES SALE: Aussie row over Greg Chappell's long lunch09/01/11 Charles Sale: Sir Ian Botham all set for rematch with Ian Chappell07/01/11 VIEW FULL ARCHIVE England cricket team chief Andy Flower, whose side are out on their feet in Australia, won't be happy about the promise given to counties by the England and Wales Cricket Board last week that centrally contracted players will be made available for more cricket next season.[LNB] The games in which the England cricketers can play has yet to be finalised, but Flower, who said he would address the issue after the Ashes, will be against any extra commitments. [LNB]Connected to this is the ECB needing to provide Sky with further cricket attractions after their demand for a rebate on their £240m contract followed the collapse of the Stanford Twenty20 series and the English equivalent of the Indian Premier League. [LNB]New England team sponsors Vauxhall, still highly unimpressed with the way the FA barred manager Fabio Capello from answering media questions at their launch event, will be demanding they receive proper value in future for their £5million-plus-a-year investment from the personal appearances outlined in their contract. [LNB]Vauxhall are understood to have around 12 player and two manager appearances per season outside international weeks in their agreement and will be asking for marquee names - not the fringe players that other sponsors have often had to put up with on such occasions. [LNB]Spurs have us believe the commercially rapacious Pele, who is happy to endorse Viagra provided Pfizer pay him millions, gave his letter of support for their Olympic Stadium bid for free. [LNB]The club's link with this English football expert - he thought Michael Owen played for Manchester United in 2002 - was through former Spurs director Paul Kemsley, who has revived the New York Cosmos for whom Pele is the president. [LNB]Paris bid's inside track? [LNB]Pulling down the Olympic Stadium to accommodate Tottenham's dedicated football build would allow the beaten Paris 2012 bid to claim 'I told you so'. [LNB]When examining the London bid book at a meeting in April 2005, senior French bid officials predicted their rivals would renege on their athletics legacy promise for Stratford. [LNB]Follow Charles Sale's updates on Twitter twitter.com/charliesale [LNB]The Russians are prepared to spend £20m on their design for a London Olympic hospitality venue at Marble Arch, which is subject to police, transport and Westminster Council consultancy processes. [LNB]Along with showcasing Sochi 2014, it would allow them to promote the Russian 2018 World Cup.[LNB] And no doubt FIFA president and IOC member Sepp Blatter, whom London Mayor Boris Johnson wanted to block from staying at the nearby Dorchester Hotel, will be a VIP guest. [LNB] Explore more:People: Fabio Capello, Boris Johnson, Sepp Blatter, Andy Flower, Paul Kemsley, Michael Owen Places: London, Paris, Australia, United Kingdom, Olympic Stadium Organisations: London Development Agency, Olympic Delivery Authority, Wales Cricket Board
