Tug of war between Tottenham and UK sports body continues, London may lose 2017 World Athletics bid
As the war between Tottenham and UK sporting bodies continues, London’s bid for the 2017 IAAF World Athletics Championships have increased chances of facing a defeat. The IAAF body has expressed its concerns over the fact that unless legal recrimination
over the Olympic Stadium is settled, it will be difficult for them to give the privilege to UK’s capital, which was earlier allowed to host the 2005 World Championships event in the past.
After the court decided in favour of West Ham (granting it the stadium after next year’s game), Tottenham had filed a review petition in the High Court. While seeing the situation, Spur’s plan was that it could even go to the extent of ripping up the running
track if this was the only way to secure the stadium for them.
Bewildered by the situation, Lamine Diack, President of the IAAF, the international athletics federation warned the UK government that under the current circumstances, the ruling council will not feel putting the commencement of the prestigious athletics
event under risk.
The president said, “If London is to win they have to come and say that they have the full support of the Government. They have that and I think they have a good bid. If the (legal) problems are continuing you must convince my colleagues on the council and
many of them will say no.”
Diack was of the view that the stadium was a wonderful place to host the world championships, however, he hinted towards the fact that the country had also won the bid for the event back in 2005, when it had finally opted for pulling out of the hosting.
Even at that time, IAAF had been offered by Richard Caborn, the then Minister for sports, to shift the event to Sheffield instead, that was rejected by the world athletics body.
Reiterating his point, Diack said, “We need to have the answer to the stadium. They (London 2012) have delivered a fantastic stadium. The problem is, ‘Are we going to have this continue in the future?’ that is the problem.” The fate of the 2017 World Championships
in Athletics will be decided in Monaco on November 12, this year.
Contrary to what the IAAF president said, chairman of the 2012 London organising committee, Sebastian Coe, who also happens to be the vice-president of the IAAF, said that he was confident about bagging the deal. While doing so, he hinted towards the fact
that Spur had already lost one case in the court. To him the ruling had already been made and he was sure of earning hosting status of the big event.
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