Source: Daily_Mail
Tottenham's plans for the Olympic Stadium will ruin UK Athletics, warns GB chief
Warning: UK Athletics head coach Charles van Commenee has chastised Tottenham's plans for the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games[LNB] London will become the sick man of European track and field if Tottenham are allowed to bulldoze the Olympic Stadium and build a football-only arena on the site, according to UK Athletics head coach Charles van Commenee.[LNB]The Dutchman believes the capital would trail outposts in Lithuania and Estonia as a credible home for the major international championships in that case.[LNB]Van Commenee, along with the vast majority of Olympic figures here and abroad, favours the rival bid from West Ham, who propose to keep the running track if they win the battle to move into the stadium in Stratford, east London, after the Games there next year. [LNB]'If London doesn't have a stadium where we can organise major championships in athletics, that puts you in a category in Europe that I can't even think of,' he said.[LNB]'Is there any capital in Europe that can't do this? Even Vilnius or Tallinn (the capitals of Lithuania and Estonia) can. Maybe the capital of Albania doesn't have a stadium, I don't know.[LNB]'I'm astonished when I see all these articles, that there's even a discussion, when a promise is made at the time that we made the bid. Ridiculous.' [LNB]Tottenham's plan makes provision for a £30million upgrade to the clapped-out Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in south London. But that is unlikely to be an adequate sum to spruce up the facility to top-class standards.[LNB] Grand designs: An artist's impression of what the Olympic Stadium will look like if Tottenham get their hands on it[LNB] [LNB]JOWELL: KEEP THE TRACK Former Olympics minister Tessa Jowell insists the Olympic Stadium in east London must continue to be an athletics venue after the 2012 Games in order to fulfil promises made to the International Olympic Committee during the bidding process.Jowell said: 'We made a promise about the athletics legacy London would offer when we bid for the 2012 Games, and we did not make it simply to see it broken a few years later. We made that promise against the background of the 2005 World Championships, which we had to pull out of because we could not provide a suitable stadium (at Picketts Lock) to host it. That decision caused a great deal of damage, but the fact that it was substantially repaired was credit to the bid, and tells you a great deal about the importance of the promise of an athletics legacy that we made.'[LNB]It would also mean Olympic organisers reneging on the pledge made by Lord Coe when he campaigned for the Games on a platform of regenerating east London and keeping the athletics element of the Olympic Stadium as a legacy.[LNB]'We want the Olympic Stadium and that was the promise,' added Van Commenee. 'For me Spurs' plans are not good enough.' [LNB]Hurdler Alan Pascoe, silver medallist in the 4x400m relay at the 1972 Olympics, went further, saying: 'It would be a betrayal of the people who bid for London, and it would be a betrayal of British sport.' [LNB]A decision on the stadium's future will be made a week tomorrow by the Olympic Park Legacy Company before ratification by the Government and the London Mayor's office.[LNB]The matter is further muddied by today's expected announcement by Crystal Palace FC that they want to move to the National Sports Centre site. [LNB]However, the planning authority, the London borough of Bromley, have said they favour Spurs' plans.[LNB] [LNB] Concerned: Simon Clegg, former CEO of the BOA (left) supported Spurs' plans, while Tessa Sanderson has been excluded from voting on the matter [LNB] Simon Clegg, former chief executive of the British Olympic Association who helped bring the Games to London, broke ranks with his old colleagues to give conditional support to Spurs.[LNB]'I am clear that it is not compatible to have football and track and field athletics in the same stadium in this country,' said Clegg, now chief executive at Ipswich Town FC.[LNB]'Football fans in this country want to be as close to the action as possible. I articulated this to Sebastian Coe a couple of years ago but the issue has become even more acute for me since I have been involved in a club.[LNB]'The West Ham option would be a huge challenge and I don't think it would work. The entire bid was based on the principle of sustainable legacy and not creating white elephants. Only 17 months out from the Games we have still not resolved the thorny issue of the future of the stadium.[LNB]'It's madness to suggest we should keep a track just on the basis we may get an athletics World Championships or European Championships, say, once every 15-20 years.[LNB]'The best solution for the Olympic Stadium would be Tottenham's proposal but on the proviso of a track and field legacy elsewhere in east London rather than Crystal Palace, which is in the wrong place and where public transport links are not good.[LNB]'For me the East End must have a sustainable athletics legacy and it would need to be another new site in east London.' [LNB]Former Olympic javelin champion Tessa Sanderson has been excluded from the decision-making process of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, of which she is a board member, because she has a contract with Newham Council, a partner in West Ham's bid.[LNB]A council spokesperson said last night: 'While this is a matter for Tessa Sanderson and OPLC rules, the council have always been clear about not involving Tessa in anything to do with the stadium.'[LNB] Team GB gets green light to compete in London 2012 handball tournamentShe could be a star at 2012 so why has Smith been stripped of her funding?Six summer sports get 2012 boost but winter disciplines in funding blowEXCLUSIVE: Sportsmail's Magnificent 7 access all areas at 2012 village[LNB] Explore more:People: Charles Van Commenee, Simon Clegg, Sebastian Coe, Tessa Jowell Places: London, Albania, Lithuania, Estonia, Europe, Olympic Stadium Organisations: British Olympic Association, Newham Council, International Olympic Committee
