OPLC delay decision until after original Friday deadline
The decision on the future of the Olympic Stadium after the London 2012 Games has been put on hold.
Premier League clubs West Ham and Tottenham are both vying to move into the ground and a decision on who wins the right to play their football at the venue was due to be made on Friday.
However, the Olympic Park Legacy Committee now claim that they need more time to give further consideration to both bids.
An athletics legacy was one of the key promises that London 2012 made to the International Olympic Committee when it won the right to stage the Games.
However, Spurs, in a joint bid with sport and entertainment giants AEG, have pledged to create an athletics legacy elsewhere and plan to knock down the stadium in Stratford and instead concentrate on investing in the National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace.
Meanwhile, West Ham and Newham Council want to create a 60,000-capacity venue that can be used for athletics, concerts and community use as well as football - therefore keeping a running track in place.
There is also the possibility of neither club running the ground, instead converting it into a 25,000-seater mixed-use venue.
An OPLC spokesman said: "Given the detailed nature of both bids received, we need more time to seek further clarification with both bidders in order to identify a preferred bidder.
"The stadium is a significant public asset and we have a duty to run a robust process.
Premier League clubs West Ham and Tottenham are both vying to move into the ground and a decision on who wins the right to play their football at the venue was due to be made on Friday.
However, the Olympic Park Legacy Committee now claim that they need more time to give further consideration to both bids.
An athletics legacy was one of the key promises that London 2012 made to the International Olympic Committee when it won the right to stage the Games.
However, Spurs, in a joint bid with sport and entertainment giants AEG, have pledged to create an athletics legacy elsewhere and plan to knock down the stadium in Stratford and instead concentrate on investing in the National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace.
Meanwhile, West Ham and Newham Council want to create a 60,000-capacity venue that can be used for athletics, concerts and community use as well as football - therefore keeping a running track in place.
There is also the possibility of neither club running the ground, instead converting it into a 25,000-seater mixed-use venue.
An OPLC spokesman said: "Given the detailed nature of both bids received, we need more time to seek further clarification with both bidders in order to identify a preferred bidder.
"The stadium is a significant public asset and we have a duty to run a robust process.
Solution
"Securing the most appropriate solution for the stadium is vital to our long-term aspirations for the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the wider regeneration of the area.
"In addition to the two shortlisted bids, the Legacy Company also has the option of the original plan to convert the Olympic Stadium to a 25,000 seats, mixed-use venue.
"In going to market, the Legacy Company's aim was to consider options which would enhance and build on that plan."
The OPLC have not confirmed when they now expect the decision to be made, but it will now have to wait until after Friday.
Certain figures have argued that awarding Tottenham the Olympic Stadium will put in jeopardy Britain's position on the world sporting stage, as Spurs intend to completely rebuild the ground and demolish the running track.
London 2012 chairman Lord Coe said: "This is about our ability to be taken seriously again in the corridors of world sport.
"There is a bid that delivers against the vision that we took to Singapore and we have a moral obligation to make it work. The West Ham bid meets those commitments. I would have to vote West Ham."
However, football luminary Pele has backed Tottenham's bid with the argument that a football ground should not contain an athletics track which would serve to dampen the atmosphere.
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