Contract for Games bid awarded

A consortium of companies that helped plan the Sydney Olympics, the new Wembley and Arsenal's £400million proposed home at Ashburton Grove was awarded the ultimate prize of drawing up the masterplan for the London Olympic bid.

EDAW - in partnership with HOK Sport, Foreign Office Architects, and Allies and Morrison - will now begin work on the masterplan for the 2012 bid's stadium facilities, Olympic village and surrounding infrastructure, which will transform Stratford and other areas of east London.

The quality of the plan produced will go a long way towards determining whether London is picked to stage the Games in 2012.

The London Development Agency, which selected the winning team, today said: "The prestigious job is a crucial component of London's 2012 Olympic bid. The masterplan will provide the 'design blueprint' needed to transform one of the poorest parts of the UK into a stunning new development capable of staging the greatest sporting show on earth."

It had been thought Arup and architect Norman Foster would be selected as they had been closely involved with the planning process from the start.