Boris Johnson insists Tottenham Hotspur will not tear up athletics track – Athletics news
The controversy about the ownership of London Olympics stadium is in the air all-over again. Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, has recently said that even if Tottenham Hotspur wins the stadium in the court, he would not allow anyone to tear up the athletics
track from there.
The Mayor, who has been quite sensitive about the issue, is of the view that by guaranteeing the track to remain in place, he would actually be guarding the athletics legacy so as the city’s chances of winning the bid for 2017 World Athletics Championships
can be increased. Currently, the Mayor is busy in preparing for a high level reception for inspectors from the International Athletics Association Federation (IAAF), who are scheduled to visit the city.
The IAAF is quite concerned about the athletics facilities in the backdrop of next year’s mega athletics event. Thus, the world athletic body wants an assurance that even if Spurs secures the court’s verdict in its favour over selling the stadium to West
Ham United, rules for the second bid process will be changed so as the running track could be retained. Earlier, Spurs had proposed the authorities to convert the Olympic stadium into a football ground and it will be paying for the revamping of the Crystal
Palace athletics stadium.
Johnson, while guaranteeing that the stadium will remain available for the mega athletics event, will tell the IAAF authorities, “I can give a cast iron guarantee that the stadium will be available to host this event.
While Margaret Ford, the chairwoman of the Olympic Park Legacy would probably say, “Whatever the outcome of the legal process the retention of the athletics track is not under question and I can guarantee that the track will stay.”
Forcing the statements given by the Mayor and the chairwoman, Hugh Robertson, the minister for Sports would say, “I can give my firm assurance that the track will be retained after the Games and here’s a letter from the Government’s legal advisers confirming
this.”
With the situation heading towards an unsatisfactory conclusion, the Mayor this week shared details of an offer of a £17 million offer mat to the Hotspurs. The basic premise was that the amount was the best that the team was going to get and they would need
to be on their way if they did not accept. The move was made to convince the club to spend £250 million to re-develop White Hart Lane and continue in Tottenham.
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