Maze Prison 'a site for Olympic soccer'

A £55m (€81m) stadium on the site of Northern Ireland’s Maze Prison could stage three Olympic soccer matches in 2012 if the project gets the go-ahead from the British government, it emerged today.

As Londoners celebrated the awarding of the 2012 Games to their city, sources close to a bid to build a new 30,000 seater stadium on the site of the jail, where 10 republican hunger strikers died in 1981, suggested today’s decision by the International Olympic Committee could boost funding for the project.

A source told PA: “At this stage the (British) government is in talks with the main sporting organisations in the province about a business plan for the proposed stadium.

“If the stadium is deemed viable and approved by the (British) government, it will be offered to the London organising committee as an Olympics venue.

“London made a great play about spreading the Games out to towns and cities throughout the UK and there have been indications that the province could get two or three of the soccer matches.

“Certainly, the success of London’s bid could help boost funding for the stadium, with lottery money likely to be released to Olympic venues and facilities.”

Hampden Park in Glasgow, Villa Park in Birmingham and St James’s Park in Newcastle have already been earmarked as venues for Olympics soccer matches.

Weymouth in Dorset has also been identified as a venue for the sailing events.

However, right throughout the UK cities will also be preparing to host competitors, coaches, Olympic officials and their families in the weeks leading up to the Games.

The Republic will also hope to benefit.

Welcoming the IOC’s decision, Northern Ireland Sports Minister David Hanson offered the North's services to competitors.

“In the run up to the event, competing nations will need to acclimatise and prepare for the Games,” he said.

“We can offer competitors, coaches, administrators and friends a warm welcome, good training facilities and a unique opportunity to experience our wide and varied culture.

“During their stay, visitors will need to be accommodated and entertained. In addition, the proximity of the host city will encourage more local firms to bid for the lucrative contracts which will be up for grabs. All this can only be good news for the economy.”

Last week his Northern Ireland Office colleague Lord Rooker announced the setting up of a monitoring group to look at plans to revamp the site of the abandoned prison near Lisburn in Co Antrim where some of the province’s most infamous loyalist and republican prisoners were jailed.

As well as plans for the stadium, it is proposed the 365 acre site will house an international equestrian centre, an International Centre for Conflict Transformation, a zone for industrial development and an arts centre.

The IOC’s decision was welcomed by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern who offered his country’s help in providing accommodation for competitors.

“The fact that the Olympic Games are coming to London will have positive repercussions right across these islands and I would like to assure my UK colleagues of any support or assistance that we can provide here in Ireland,” he said.

“The Irish Government has invested heavily in the provision of high quality sports facilities, catering for a wide variety of sports, right across the country.

“Ireland can contribute enormously to the success of the London Games through the availability here of excellent competition and training facilities not just for our own athletes but also for competitors from countries throughout the world in the build-up to 2012.”