As part of the plans, which were revealed on Wednesday, Tottenham also stated it would revamp the Crystal Palace athletics stadium to fulfil the legacy commitment made when London was awarded the 2012 Games.
London rival West Ham United, which has the support of UK Athletics due to its pledge to keep an athletics track around the pitch for the summer months, is also in the running for the Olympic Stadium. In just over two weeks’ time, the Olympic Park Legacy Company will select its preferred bidder, and the final decision will be announced by the end of March.
“The debate, such as it is, has been one-sided because we've not entered into this,” said Tottenham club vice-president David Keirle, who is also chairman of design firm KSS. “It's been very ill-informed.”
Keirle also criticised West Ham's plans to retain the Olympic Stadium at a reduced capacity of 60,000, claiming there was a risk of turning the venue into a ‘white elephant’. He added: “There would be nothing worse than, five years down the line, a failing club not being able to meet its obligations because it's not getting 60,000, and fans saying there is no atmosphere.”
