UK Athletics backs West Ham bid for Olympic Stadium

UK Athletics has today announced its formal support for West Ham's bid to move to the Olympic Stadium after the London 2012 Games.

West Ham, who have launched a joint bid with Newham Council, plan to convert the 80,000-seater stadium into a 60,000-capacity arena for football, athletics, concerts and community use.

London Premiership rivals Tottenham, who launched a joint bid with sport and entertainment company AEG, have indicated a running track is not part of their future plans.

West Ham United vice-chairman Karren Brady described the official backing of UKA, the sport's governing body, as "fantastic news".

UKA hopes the Olympic Stadium could be used to host top events such as the 2015 IAAF World Championships.

UKA chairman Ed Warner said: "What has impressed me so much about the joint bid from West Ham and Newham is their clear commitment to the spirit of the Olympic legacy and not just athletics at the elite end, but with the retention of the community track, our future champions and club runners too.

"It was clear from the start that only a partnership approach would bring to life the vision Seb Coe (London 2012) had when he committed to an athletics legacy in 2005 and we believe the collaboration of West Ham, Newham and UKA gives the strongest opportunity for a vibrant sporting legacy that will go well beyond 2012."

The Olympic Park Legacy Company is in the middle of the process of deciding who will take over the 80,000-seater venue in Stratford, east London, after the 2012 Games.

The stadium's exact use is also under discussion but an athletics legacy was one of the key pledges that London 2012 made to the International Olympic Committee when it won hosting rights to stage the Games.

Brady said: "We believe ours is the only bid that can deliver London's legacy commitment to the International Olympic Committee. UKA's endorsement is a powerful and highly-valued testament of that.

"Our plan is not just to have a new stadium for West Ham but a real sporting centre for London and the rest of the country. We want to create a home of sport, featuring two of the greatest sports, football and athletics, side by side where they can grow and flourish together both in terms of spectatorship and participation at every level.

"UKA have been great in helping us develop that vision over the past eight months and, together with Newham Council, we are ideally placed to make our dream a reality. We now hope to move on and secure the stadium and enable world-class athletics to continue in east London beyond the Olympic Games - hopefully including the IAAF World Championships in 2015."