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Latest view of games site as inspectors prepare to check on progress
Matthew Beard, Sports News Correspondent24.11.09
Here is the latest view of the 600-hectare Olympic Park - ready for a key inspection by international Games chiefs this week.
It shows for the first time how major venues, including the Olympic Stadium, aquatics centre, velodrome and basketball arena, will dominate the skyline.
London 2012 chiefs released the photograph before the two-day grilling by the co-ordination commission of the International Olympic Committee. It begins tomorrow and is expected to focus on security, transport and the timetable of events.
Games bosses will also face questions on their plans for the gymnastics and badminton events, which are currently "homeless". The inspectors will also be led on a tour of the Olympic Park in Stratford, to be followed by a series of briefings.
There are now 976 days to go before the Games start.
Today ministers were urged to protect London's Olympic heritage after the event. The head of the British Olympic Association, Andy Hunt, said the venues and park must retain the word "Olympic".
Click on the image below to see a larger version
Although the BOA backs a government initiative to name the Stratford complex after the Queen, it insists its full title must be the "Elizabeth Olympic Park".
Mr Hunt said there were few reminders of London hosting the 1948 Games at White City, and the mistake must not be repeated after 2012. Only a plaque at White City and a few pointers at the Wembley stadium site - such as Olympic Way- remain of the event 61 years ago.
Mr Hunt said: "It's about the legacy that sport has in the park, not just Olympic sport but community sport as well. It's important to us because there are so few reminders of 1948."
Mr Hunt said Sydney had failed to retain the fabric of its Olympic park after the 2000 Games, but he was impressed by Munich's, which kept its character despite being home to Bayern Munich FC. The BOA is in negotiations with Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell over a name for the park.
Names of sports venues may be sold off to sponsors but this could not happen until after the Games. Negotiations on future venue naming rights will be led by the Olympic Park Legacy Company, jointly owned by City Hall and the Government.
Reader views (11)
'The Olympics will not benefit the vast majority of Londoners although we'll be paying for it for decades.'
A typical statement by the 'me' 'now' generation.
The vast majority of Londoners may not directly benefit from the 2 week games, however, they really will benefit from having a huge swathe of land decontaminated, regenerated and made available for future housing and expansion. The Olympics is just the catalyst. With Canary Wharf and Stratford City, this area will become the most modern quarter of London with new transport, infra-structure and communications, and a new gateway to London as the first stop on Eurostar for european travelers and business people, and of course the expanded City Airport. Although many people cling to the stereotype that this part of London will always be a dump, the same was once said of Notting Hill, Westbourne Grove and the junkie infested red light district that was once Angel. London evolves, and present governments would not be doing their duty if they weren't constantly looking to plan for London's future. Meanwhile 'old' London has long begun to show her age, and is becoming increasingly more difficult and expensive to modernize, maintain and make environmentally sustainable.
The Olympics may not necessarily benefit present Londoners immediately, but the much needed expansion and regeneration of this part of London will be fully appreciated by future Londoners, since they'll be nowhere left for them to go...
- S Robertson,, London
@"Charles Porter, SE1" People who whine and moan about the Olympics in London tend to have to deal with the mess and displacement, they don't live in SE1.
- Jacqui Smith'S Dvd Collection!, Hackney, London
@Stefanie there's more crooks in the Epsom banker belt than there are up here!
- Jacqui Smith'S Dvd Collection!, Hackney, London
Charles the people who moaned about the Dome were right to. The purpose for what it was built for never lived up to expectations and the actual visitor numbers reflected that. All for approx. £ 800m.
The O2 bears little resemblance to what the was originally paid for and indeed if the figures are right the new owners have spent approx. £ 600m converting it. Other than the shell the two things are completely different.
The Olympics will not benefit the vast majority of Londoners although we'll be paying for it for decades.
- Mark, South-East London
Im with Charles SE1 stop moaning and start supporting all the people working so hard for London and the UK. Paul, London your comments are absurd, the olympic officals visit at various stages to check preparations it has nothing to do with Labour. Here's to a great 2012 in spite of the miserable moaning and ill informed people on here.
- Dave, London
Charles Porter makes a very good point, we should all be greatful for the Olympics venue. After all, it only took privatisation, huge amounts of devaluation, massive investment and 6 years to turn the Dome into a money spinner, obviously by 2020 we should have an Olympics venue fit for purpose, disregarding the huge amount of Londoners money that will be wasted there's only 1 slight problem as I see it.
- Bob, Cheam
People who whine and moan about the Olympics in London remind me of the whingers about The Dome, now officially the most popular venue in Europe. The Olympic Park represents a shift in the balance of London, massive investment just when it is needed, and the regeneration of a wasteland into the biggest park in Europe for 150 years. Cycle lanes, meadows, over 80 acres of open park land, watersides and formal gardens the size of St James' park. Jump on a train and you're in Paris in less than two hours. This is just so exciting for anyone who loves London.
- Charles Porter, SE1
Why hold this in Stratford? It's the middle of nowhere and hardly a nice place to show the world London. Don't get mugged!
- Stefanie, Epsom
There are some stunning photos someone took of the Olympic park from a plane taking off from City Airport. Only aerial photos show the full scale, you can see where they've started banking the Lea to plant sedge and reeds and wild flowers. You can see the gigantic trench of the Stratford International Station and the massive new Stratford City buildings going up. This area of London was a toilet, breakers' yards, fridge mountains, barren industrial wasteland. The change is incredible. This is the biggest thing to hit East London since the luftwaffe.
- Charles Porter, SE1
- Paul, London
Its called checking on work in progress, its standard practice in the construction industry (Clients normally visit site and attend progress meetings on a monthly basis). I can't see how this is "another cock-up by NuLab".
- Dc, London
Why is London presenting a building site to the Olympic chiefs? Surely they should be presenting it when it's finished? Another balls-up by NuLab. This country is a joke.
- Paul, London
