West Ham United has "won the backing of Olympic bosses in the battle" for rights to the London Olympic Stadium after the '12 Games, as the Olympic Park Legacy Company has "decided the offer from the club -- which would retain the athletics track -- is better than" the bid from fellow EPL club Tottenham Hotspur, according to Adrian Warner of the BBC. The OPLC BOD "will be asked to support the view and announce the Hammers as preferred bidder on Friday." The government and London Mayor Boris Johnson will make a "final decision but are expected to back the OPLC's recommendation." Warner noted it would be a "surprise" if they "overturn the recommendation of OPLC executives." Tottenham's plans "were to dismantle the stadium in Stratford and build a new football ground in its place" (BBC.co.uk, 2/9). In London, Paul Kelso notes it is thought that Tottenham's "failure to meet the key legacy commitment of the bid, allied to some concerns over the cost and source of some funding in the Tottenham bid, may have counted against them." Concerns over "financial aspects of West Ham's bid have been raised during an increasingly bitter lobbying campaign, but the fact their construction costs are cheaper than Tottenham's and involve less borrowing may have counted in their favour." West Ham officials have said that it will cost around $152M (all figures U.S.) to "convert the stadium for football, including the addition of a permanent roof and facilities including hospitality, toilets and concessions." Of that amount, around $64.2M is "covered by a loan from their partner Newham Council." An additional $56.2M "comes from a 'conversion fund' set aside by the Olympic Delivery Authority and available to whichever bid is successful." Tottenham is "unlikely to take rejection lying down," and club officials "have already indicated that they will consider judicial review of the decision if it goes against them" (London TELEGRAPH, 2/10). The GUARDIAN's Owen Gibson writes it is "understood that key figures on the OPLC board feel that only West Ham's bid fulfils the five criteria laid out in the tender document." The "desire to have the stadium open as soon as possible after the Games is also likely to have been a key factor: Spurs's more complex plans may have been more risky given the desire to reopen ahead of the 2014-15 season" (GUARDIAN.co.uk, 2/10).
MAKING THE RIGHT CALL: In London, Ian Chadband writes, "For all the increasingly unseemly arm wrestling which has gone into arriving at the verdict, surely it is time to hail the idea that the conclusion reached is the right one. The only one. For if Tottenham defeated West Ham in the fight for the use of the Olympic Stadium post 2012, it would have catastrophic consequences for British sport, for its reputation and standing among the international sports community. This verdict will send out the simple message that we as a great sports nation can be trusted" (London TELEGRAPH, 2/10).
