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Final shot to ditch Woolwich for 2012
Matthew Beard, Sports News Correspondent12.12.08
THE British shooting federation has made a final bid to force Olympics chiefs to abandon Woolwich barracks as the 2012 venue for the sport.
They made their case for it to be moved to the national shooting centre at Bisley, Surrey, during a fact-finding mission by officials.
Bisley was the original choice for Olympic shooting but was ruled out for being too far from London and is only back on the agenda because of the soaring budget at the Woolwich site.An inspection team of 11 experts, led by David Higgins, chief executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority, visited Bisley on Tuesday.
Draft findings will be presented to the Olympic board when it meets this month and the International Olympic Committee has urged London 2012 to decide on venues by next March.
Olympics chiefs have insisted that Woolwich is their preferred option but were forced to return to Bisley after a cost-analysis of venues by KPMG was branded a "whitewash".
The national federation, British Shooting, was unhappy that KPMG inspectors had visited their site "covertly" and not taken evidence from them. A £28 million plan for a refurbished venue at Bisley was commissioned from HLM Architects and will be presented to Olympics chiefs.
Key to British Shooting's case is that Bisley would leave a legacy for the sport, unlike Woolwich, where costs have rocketed from £30 million to £42 million.
Chairman Phil Boakes said: "It's the first time they have engaged with us in a meaningful way and we will be happy to accept their conclusions once they have visited us."
Woolwich continues to have the support of the international Shooting Sport Federation.
Reader views (10)
What are they going to shoot with, Labour has banned all sports shooting in britain. Presumably the competitors representing britain will all be Gang yobs from toxteth. Bisley is the logical location since it is already there.
- Pedro, Granada Spain
The current article on the Olympic shooting venue is behind the times in that the national shooting associations met with the Olympic authorities last Tuesday.
It is true to say that there had been some difficulty in getting those bodies to consider the plans for Bisley during the initial phases of the KPMG review. It must be stated for the record however that the shooting associations have know been able to reveal their innovative plans for Bisley, that will all most certainly provide a larger venue for the Olympic shooting which can be delivered at a lower cost than that for Woolwich, without any of the current safety concerns, while providing a long-term sustainabile plan and legacy for both shooting and the wider community.
During the course of the meeting the Olympic authority challenged the proposals but were left with the impression that Bisley could provide the answers. The Olympic Delivery Authorities Chief Executive David Higgins challenged the shooting associations to enter into a detailed feasibility study looking at the suitability of Bisley as oppossed to Woolwich over the next 3 months.
The shooting associations have since formally communicated that they wish to accept the challenge in the hope that they can work jointly with the ODA and others looking at whether Bisley can deliver to all the Olympic requirements.
The shooting associations are sure that Bisley can.
Glynn Alger
Secretary General of the National Rifle Association
- Glynn Alger, Brookwood United Kingdom
Bisley is the obvious place for the shooting, except to this Government and the hanger's on.
Equally obvious is the Governments opposition to legitimate, law-abiding sport shooters !
Personally, I hope we don't field any athletes for this event in protest at the Laws introduced to try and ban all legitimate shooting in this country.
Meanwhile, the criminals and Police are armed to the teeth, and nothing is done about it !
- Cap, london
Bisley is the centre of UK and world shooting. It is like Wimbledon for tennism, and Wembley of football. It takes one hour to get to from London. It has the best shooting facilities in the world.
It could do with an upgrade, and some improvements. But no it is not a Labour sport, with lots of votes.
The Tessa Jowell style idiots, who make up numbers, and forget they signed for loans on their house. Really who would believe such an incredibly stupid excuse? Like homework eaten by a Martian!
Like Mandy of Lieloan another loan forgetter, the bosses plan a massive spend and want to keep their funds to boast about the most expensive olympics. They could not care a fig about what is best for a sport, they want to spend.
- Bobby, Charlton
What if the British team simply refuse to shoot at Woolwich, or unless the firearms act is repealed? I'm not so concerned about the sport, but the banning of guns from the hands of the law-abiding was always the most stupid idea out: firearms crime has shot up as a result.
- Mdj, Leyton, london
Why on earth does the governing body of shooting have to appeal to people who know nothing about shooting to get the events where they should be held??
This is the stupidity of the 2012 games, the money is being spent in areas that will give no legacy or return after the games, by companies being paid huge sums to tell us how to do it!
This farce is getting worse, by old club has just lost 50% of it club time (in London) which means it now can offer just 1 hour a week. This is the legacy from the Bejing games, the London games in 2012 will probably mean the loss of all time and the closure of the club after 70 years
- Johnw, Peterborough, Cambs
Having spent a day shooting as a guest at Bisley last year I had no idea of its size and History.Why anyone would want to waste £millions by going elsewehere is beyond me but then of course we are dealing with current Gov. Spend the money at Bisley to make it a world class shooting facility not some temp location at Woolwich
- Mike Kelly, London England
To Nobby Clark; Lords is being used for archery, Wembley for football, Wimbledon for tennis and Eton Dorney for rowing. The new venues and regeneration being built for the Games are ones London desperately needs anyway, so the idea that all events should take place in existing venues completely misses the point as to why London wanted the Games in the first place.
- Darren, London
Is there a glimmer of sense finally making its way into the Olympic project?
Now all they need to do is find uses for Lords, Twickenham, Wembley, Wimbledon (anyone for tennis?), Highbury and The Thames (rowing?) et al, and maybe they could get closer to the original budget.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, Scotland
Woolwich is a complete waste of money.
There is no way that Bisley should hold any Olympic shooting event until the government repeals the unfair and unjust 1997 Firearms Acts. These Acts make it illegal for British competitors to take part in many Olympic shooting events.
No Repeal = no Bisley.
- Clive Allen, Brighton, UK
