FROM THE ARCHIVES: An Olympic legacy that's just not cricket

UPDATE: This is an article I wrote back in January. Since then the OPLC has chosen West Ham United as their preferred tenants. Despite opposition from both Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton Orient football clubs, West Ham seem set to inherit the stadium after the Olympic Games. However, the situation regarding the future design and usage of the stadium beyond football is not really any clearer now than it was in January. This story will run long beyond the summer of 2012.

21 Jan 2011:

Debate on the future of London's Olympic Stadium has focused on the ambitions of two Premier League football clubs, but this month's final decision on its long-term usage will have a wider impact on sporting life in Essex and East London.

While Tottenham Hotspur and the events promoter AEG plan to demolish the 2012 centrepiece to make way for a purpose-built stadium, West Ham United and Newham Council are keen to emphasise the prospect of the existing arena living on as a multi-sport venue with a strong community focus.

Although West Ham's proposals would appear to honour the pledge of an athletics legacy that was so central in ensuring that London won the Games back in 2005, the extent to which the stadium will become a truly multi-purpose venue is uncertain.

While the bid is keen to talk up the wide variety of uses the stadium will be put to, none of these proposals appear to be set in stone.

Under construction, but the stadium's long-term future is undecided (Credit: Pplfichi)

Essex County Cricket Club have expressed an interest in playing Twenty20 matches at the stadium in the event of West Ham becoming the main tenants, the club remain non-committal on the likelihood of these ambitions becoming a reality.

Essex Chief Executive David East said: "We are not fully committed to hosting matches at the stadium. We have indicated our wish to explore matters with West Ham and Newham Council and we will do so if their bid is successful."

Essex, meanwhile, are pressing ahead with plans to redevelop their own headquarters in Chelmsford.

East said: "The Olympic Stadium issue won't affect our redevelopment plans in any way. It is business as usual at Chelmsford."

Even before the 2012 Games have finished, the original plans to provide an athletics legacy are already being scuppered. UK Athletics had wanted to bring the 2015 World Athletics Championships to the Olympic Stadium, but they have been forced to abandon the plan while the future of the venue remains up in the air.

UK Athletics chairman Ed Warner said: “Obviously we are disappointed not to be pursuing our 2015 but we need to present a bid that is free of any uncertainties. That is not something we can commit to until the process regarding the future of the Stadium is concluded."

Warner indicated that UK Athletics intended to switch their focus to hosting the 2017 Championships, but once more these plans are entirely dependent on the decision that will be made by the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) later this month.

In spite of these doubts, the UK government are keen to emphasise the importance of an Olympic legacy.

Reacting to the abandoned 2015 bid, Sports Minister Hugh Robertson said: "In our bid for the 2012 Olympics we were clear that the Games would produce a legacy for athletics and that has not changed. We cannot stress enough the importance of athletics as part of the Olympic legacy."

Although Robertson's words appear reassuring, the nature of the two leading bids to take over the Olympic Stadium tells another story. Regardless of which bid the OPLC chooses, the sporting legacy of 2012 will continue to be uncertain.