Rivals West Ham’s bid favoured
SPURS hopes of taking over the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 games has suffered a blow after rivals West Ham moved a step closer to victory as the favoured bidders.
Officers from the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) are set to recommend West Ham’s bid over Tottenham Hotspur’s to board members when they meet on Friday, according to reports.
The recommendation does not however automatically mean that West Ham will win the backing of the board members. The board’s decision also has to be ratified by two Government departments and the London Mayor’s office.
Sources at both clubs said they had had no contact from the OPLC that a recommendation had been made.
Both Premier League clubs would aim to stage concerts as well as football at the stadium.
West Ham would retain the running track while Tottenham’s plans would be to create a football stadium and redevelop the old Crystal Palace athletics stadium for that sport.
London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe is among those calling for the track to be maintained in line with promises made to the International Olympic Committee back in 2005.
Tim Leiweke, the president of Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), who are partnering Tottenham, claimed the Olympic Stadium would “go broke in 10 years” if an athletics track is retained.
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