UNITED KINGDOM: OLYMPIC GAMES: ATHLETICS - London 2012 Olympics athletics track officially unveiled

Record ID: 332532

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: OLYMPIC GAMES: ATHLETICS - London 2012 Olympics athletics track officially unveiled
  • Date: 4th October 2011
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS 1500 METRES SILVER MEDALLIST HANNAH ENGLAND SAYING: "I honestly think this is probably the best stadium I have been in. The track surface is really high tech'; it's finished really well. I mean think, we have got 10 months to go and it's pretty much done. I think it, I think it is going to be really good" STADIUM (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH MINISTER FOR SPORT AND THE OLYMPICS HUGH ROBERTSON SAYING: "The message to the world is very clear: we'll run a wonderful Olympics in 2012. On the basis of this, we're launching a bid for 2017 (World Athletics Championships). That will be heard in November and the athletics track is a non-negotiable part of the legacy of this stadium"
  • Embargoed: 19th October 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom, United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA7JE9MD3WSM1B4V4B2K5D3QGGZ
  • Story Text: The organisers of the London 2012 Olympics officially unveiled on Monday (October 3) the new athletics track for the games.
    The prefabricated track laid in August was made by an Italian company which has been involved in the Olympics since 1976 and they have also provided an identical warm-up track and an 80m sprint straight.
    Local schoolchildren were allowed onto the track on Monday and also there for the unveiling were athletes including Paralympic discus world record holder and gold medallist Dan Greaves; World Athletics Championships 1500 metres silver medallist Hannah England; and British long jump record holder Chris Tomlinson.
    The children are among those expected to benefit from the facilities on the Olympic site in east London after the 2012 games.
    Before the official unveiling, representatives from the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) visited the site as part of London's bid to host the 2017 World Athletics Championships.
    The stadium is already the subject of a dispute between Premier League soccer clubs West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur, both of which would like to take it over after the Olympics.
    However, British Sports and Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson said the track would remain.
    London is bidding against Doha for the championships, with a decision due to be taken by the IAAF in Monaco in November.
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