Olympic ally opposes Coe over Stadium future

Former London 2012 bid advisor Mike Lee has insisted the Tottenham Hotspur plan for the Olympic Stadium site after next year’s Games is the best way of preventing a “white elephant”.

Lee has been brought in by Tottenham to help persuade the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) to back their proposed 250 million pound move to the Stratford site of the main stadium for the 2012 London Games.

The proposal is controversial both with Spurs fans, who don’t want the club to leave north London and with Premier League rivals West Ham, who want to move to an Olympic site close to their existing Upton Park ground.

When London won the right to stage the 2012 Games, officials led by Olympic champion Coe promised the new stadium would leave a permanent legacy for athletics in the British capital.

West Ham have said they would keep the running track as part of a 60,000-capacity stadium.

Tottenham, by contrast, would demolish the track and contribute to athletics by redeveloping the existing facilities at Crystal Palace in south London.

Coe has said he feels a “moral obligation” to support West Ham in their plan to keep the Olympic Stadium as a multi-sports venue while Lee is now advising Spurs in their rival bid.

There are growing concerns over whether West Ham can maintain the stadium and indeed whether London needs a new athletics track once the Games are over.

Meanwhile, Lee said it was tough for football and athletics to co-exist.

“If you’re not in a great football stadium it affects your experience and your willingness to come week in, week out,” he told the Guardian.

“The long-term future of athletics is also important. And we know that football and athletics don’t work as a combination.

“Bayern Munich didn’t have a great time in their Olympic stadium and athletics hasn’t really worked there since the (1972) Games.

“I genuinely think London has an opportunity to create the greatest Olympic Park ever,” added Lee.

“I’m not saying it’s a simple decision. But if you duck difficult decisions when it comes to the legacy of these great sporting events you’re in danger of creating a white elephant.”