Final shot to ditch Woolwich for 2012

THE British shooting federation has made a final bid to force Olympics chiefs to abandon Woolwich barracks as the 2012 venue for the sport.

They made their case for it to be moved to the national shooting centre at Bisley, Surrey, during a fact-finding mission by officials.

Bisley was the original choice for Olympic shooting but was ruled out for being too far from London and is only back on the agenda because of the soaring budget at the Woolwich site.An inspection team of 11 experts, led by David Higgins, chief executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority, visited Bisley on Tuesday.

Draft findings will be presented to the Olympic board when it meets this month and the International Olympic Committee has urged London 2012 to decide on venues by next March.

Olympics chiefs have insisted that Woolwich is their preferred option but were forced to return to Bisley after a cost-analysis of venues by KPMG was branded a "whitewash".

The national federation, British Shooting, was unhappy that KPMG inspectors had visited their site "covertly" and not taken evidence from them. A £28 million plan for a refurbished venue at Bisley was commissioned from HLM Architects and will be presented to Olympics chiefs.

Key to British Shooting's case is that Bisley would leave a legacy for the sport, unlike Woolwich, where costs have rocketed from £30 million to £42 million.

Chairman Phil Boakes said: "It's the first time they have engaged with us in a meaningful way and we will be happy to accept their conclusions once they have visited us."

Woolwich continues to have the support of the international Shooting Sport Federation.