Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) chairman John Armitt told the BBC Wednesday that London 2012’s Olympic stadium is highly unlikely to be used for Premier League football. The 500 million pound stadium in east London is semi-temporary with the capacity being reduced from 80,000 to 25,000 once the Games are over, reports Reuters.
London’s bid promised the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that an athletics track would be part of the legacy, but Reuters reports with no long-term tenant signed up and with worries over how the global economic crisis will have an impact on the London 2012 Games, there have been suggestions that the stadium could be taken over by a top London football club.
Armitt said, “we had a legacy commitment to ensure the stadium was to be used by athletes and athletics. You then have to say, is it possible to mix a Premier League club with an athletics stadium and that’s not easy. I think the likelihood of those two things ever coming together was always slim because we have this commitment to an athletics stadium.
“If you wanted to use it for a Premier League football club you would have to completely redesign it and I think we have gone past that point”.
Armitt confirmed that talks had been held with rugby clubs while lower league football clubs could also be interested in using the stadium.
