Olympic Stadium Decision Postponed

London may be determined the Olympic Stadium won’t end up the sort of white elephant the old Millennium Dome became before AEG took over, but deciding its long-term future may be just as much of a fiasco.

The winning bid was expected to be announced by the Olympic Park Legacy Company Jan. 28 but its meeting has been postponed with no new date given.

The OPLC says it needs more information from Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United, the two Premier League soccer teams vying to make their future homes at the venue, and also more time to consider their proposals.

News of the meeting being postponed broke early in the afternoon of Jan. 24 and rounded of a week that saw an escalating war of words between the two bidders.

Tottenham is making its bid with U.S. entertainment giant AEG and has attracted fierce criticism from 2012 Olympics chairman Sebastian Coe, a two-time Olympic gold medal winner and shadow minister for the Olympics Tessa Jowell, among a host of other public figures and various heads of athletics organisations.

They all say the club’s intention of tearing up the running track and leveling most of the new 80,000-capacity building to make way for a 60,000-capacity, purpose-built soccer ground breaks the promises the English capital made when it was awarded the Games.

Spurs hit back by saying it’s doubtful if West Ham – commonly known as The Hammers – can make a financially sustainable bid, particularly if it were to be relegated to the second grade Championship.

Tottenham Hotspur, on the other hand, is challenging for a Top 4 league position, regularly sells out its 32,000-capacity White Hart Lane ground and has a season ticket waiting list of around 32,000.

Spurs says it will keep the promise about the country using the Games to create an athletics legacy and a major track and field venue by contributing to the refurbishment of the National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace.

The Hammers aren’t winning many games on the field, but the bid it’s put in with Live Nation and its local Newham Council is winning the publicity battle.

A survey on Sky News revealed it couldn’t find a single Spurs fan that wouldn’t prefer the club to redevelop next to White Hart Lane. Various fans’ groups are already protesting the move 5 miles east to Stratford.

The station also began a viewers’ poll Jan. 24, which after a few hours showed 82 percent of those who’d responded were in favour of the West Ham bid.