By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
January 2 – Tottenham Hotspur’s hopes of taking over the Olympic Stadium following London 2012 suffered a setback today when Sebastian Coe came out and publicly backed the proposal presented by Premier League rivals West Ham United.
The chairman of London 2012, the double Olympic 1500 metres champion, made it clear that he was against Tottenham’s plans to rip up the track at the £537 million ($826 million) Stadium and instead develop an athletics legacy at Crystal Palace.
It was Coe’s promise during the bid process that if London were awarded the Olympics and Paralympics then it would guarantee a long-term legacy for athletics that swung the race in their favour ahead of long-time favourites Paris.
Coe, who is a vice-president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), is keen that the promise he made should be honoured.
“We are told that West Ham are happy to play football within a track and Tottenham have clearly said they are not,” Coe told BBC Radio5 Live.
“Conclude from that what you want.”
The Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) are due to make a decision before the end of March and, although Coe is not due to play any role in the final choice, his backing for West Ham could prove influential.
“We made a commitment to track and field to be a part of the legacy of the Stadium so, as vice-president of the IAAF, it’s not going to come as a huge shock that I am going to defend and help my sport,” he said.
“It [West Ham’s proposal] lives with the commitment we made in Singapore.
“We have had assurances that the tenders will be underpinned by the recognition that commitments were made to the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and to the international federations about a track and field legacy, and we have no reason to believe the OPLC will do anything to contradict that.”
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