IAAF hits back in 2012 legacy row

By Matt Slater

What becomes of the stadium after 2012 has become a real headache

The head of world athletics has said any move to deprive his sport of a lasting legacy at London 2012's stadium would be "totally unacceptable".

In a strident statement, IAAF president Lamine Diack singled out Olympics boss Jacques Rogge for criticism.

Diack was replying to comments Rogge gave to the BBC last week when he said London 2012 did not need to leave behind a legacy for athletics.

"I think this shows a lack of respect for my sport," said Diack.

"As an International Olympic Committee member, I voted for the 2012 host city in Singapore (in 2005) and one of the most compelling arguments in favour of London was the fact the city desperately needed a world-class venue for athletics.

"A country like Great Britain, with its magnificent tradition in our sport and a great future ahead of it, surely must be entitled to a decent athletics stadium in its capital city?

"A promise was made and I believe it is totally reasonable to expect the most important sport of the summer Olympics gets to live on after the three-week period of the Games is over."

The post-2012 use of the £500m Olympic venue has become an increasingly contentious subject.

The current plan is to reduce the capacity of the stadium after the Games from 80,000 to 25,000 seats and operate it as a multi-sports venue with athletics at its core and one or more "anchor tenant" (probably a football or rugby club) to meet its running costs.

But with concerns growing about the failure to find a club willing to move to a stadium with an athletics track around the pitch, talk of London's tax-payers being straddled with an open-ended financial commitment to a venue that cannot pay for itself has also grown.

It was this fear IOC president Rogge was addressing when he told the BBC in Brussels last week that the priority for London 2012's organisers should be to avoid leaving behind "white elephants".

More soon.