West Ham v Spurs in 2010, but where will they be playing in 2015?
I never think you should say "Told you so" in life but I'm going to now because I got a lot of criticism when I broke the story in July that Tottenham were interested in moving into the 2012 Olympic Stadium after the Games.
I was accused of "not doing my research properly".
One blogging fan even suggested the BBC should "start looking for another Olympic Correspondent that can actually find some real news".
I can understand the supporters taking that view, especially when a spokeswoman from Tottenham denied the club had put in a bid.
But I wasn't going to walk away from a story just because somebody is denying it, especially when I knew - from detailed research and talking to key people - that the club was still in the market.
And therefore - unlike other parts of the media - I wasn't surprised at all when Tottenham put in an official bid last week together with the entertainment group AEG, who run the 02 Arena - because I DID do my research and I DO talk to the people who matter in this Olympic business.
I don't actually think Spurs will move in to the stadium and I know from talking to fans that they don't want to leave White Hart Lane.
But there is no doubt that the club is keeping a move to Stratford as an option until every detail of the expansion at the Lane is sorted out.
West Ham, of course, are the favourites to strike a deal with the Olympic Park Legacy Company and to start playing in Stratford from the 2014-15 season.
The other Olympic saga which had the same sort of inevitability about it as the Spurs bid has been 2012's determination to take the marathon route away from east London and run it around London's famous landmarks.
Finally, yesterday we got the confirmation that it will not be run through some of the poorest parts of the capital.
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions
The races will start and finish in the Mall near Buckingham Palace and not go anywhere near the Olympic Stadium in east London.
Most Olympic marathons have finished in the main stadium in the past.
2012 deny this is all about better TV pictures.
They say they have changed their minds because of logistical problems. But the decision means the so-called "Olympic borough of Tower Hamlets" have lost all of their three big promises from organisers.
In addition to the marathon, the borough was supposed to get a basketball training venue and a race walking event through its streets.
Now, instead of competitors running past their doorsteps, the locals are only getting a place on the Olympic Route Network - the VIPs will race past them in special cars in Olympic lanes on their way to Stratford.
The council is furious and Lord Coe, the 2012 chairman, says he is talking to officials about special events around the torch relay.
But every part of London - and Britain - will get a share of the torch relay. It's hardly a replacement for a real sporting event in your back yard.
East London was promised a lot by the bid and a bunch of schoolchildren from Olympic boroughs were taken to Singapore to help the successful presentation.
You can understand that many are disappointed that these promises are now being watered down.
Believe me, the frustration of east Londoners is 100 times more important as any irritation I might feel at being criticised for getting a story right!
More: BBC London 2012
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/adrianwarner/2010/10/i_never_think_you_should.html
No comments:
Post a Comment