Karren Brady warns Spurs stadium option will hit Britain's reputation

Posted Wednesday, February 09, 2011 by Metro.co.uk

Karren Brady warns Spurs stadium option will hit Britain's reputation
A computer-generated image of West Ham's plans for the Olympic Stadium.

The West Ham vice-chairman, Karren Brady, has warned that Britain's reputation in the sporting world would take a big hit if Tottenham won the right to move to the Olympic Stadium. Brady was speaking as West Ham revealed an image of how the stadium will look if they beat Spurs to take over the Stratford site after the 2012 Olympics.

Unlike Tottenham, West Ham are committed to hosting athletics meetings in the refurbished stadium after the Games, and will keep the running track. That stance has enabled the club, whose bid is supported by Newham council, to earn the backing of key figures within the athletics world such as the London 2012 chairman, Lord Coe, the IAAF president, Lamine Diack, and the UK Athletics head coach, Charles van Commenee.

Spurs would tear down the stadium and rebuild a 60,000-seater football ground in its place, but they insist they are committed to keeping Britain's promise to create a post-Games athletics legacy by refurbishing Crystal Palace. But Brady denied those suggestions, claiming Spurs' plans would put Britain's standing in the world of sport at risk.

She said: "On 6 July 2005 [when Britain won the right to host the 2012 Olympics], a promise was made in the Queen's name. We believe in that promise and we believe in legacy. It's important for the UK's credibility as a sporting nation – especially in the wake of the 2018 Fifa World Cup disappointment – to keep that promise."

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