Organisers of London 2012 plan to recoup millions of pounds from the cost of hosting the Summer Olympic Games by auctioning off temporary arenas and swimming pools, according to UK press reports.
The Evening Standard reports that the auction, which will be run by Sport England on behalf of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), is expected to attract hundreds of offers from bidders that include sports governing bodies, universities and district councils, looking to purchase Games venues, seating, lighting, heating and playing surfaces.
According to the paper, popular items expected to go quickly include four Olympic-sized pools - giant tanks which will be erected in the Olympic Park for swimmers training during the Games. The temporary pools are reportedly needed for the athletes during Games because of a severe shortage of permanent Olympic-sized pools elsewhere in London.
The Evening Standard also claims that the entire water polo venue next to the Aquatics Centre, which includes two 33-metre pools and 5,000 seats,will be auctioned off. Each water polo pool will be reconfigured to 50 metres in the hopes of increasing the resale value.
Items that are not apparently included in the auction are 55,000 temporary seats from the 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium. The ODA has suggested they may be sold to Chicago if it hosts the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
