Olympic bid hits first big hurdle

London's 2012 Olympic bid met its first major obstacle today when the Government was accused of "losing its way" on guaranteeing the playing fields where future champions are discovered and developed.

The funding of grass roots sport is going to be a potential banana skin for the campaign, especially after last week's photo call for new bid chairwoman Barbara Cassani near Oxo Tower was upset by children demonstrating about the lack of local playing fields.

The National Playing Fields Association today published what it called "disastrous" figures showing that playing fields are being built on at an "unprecedented rate".

"They show that nothing the Government does is working, that its promises have been trampled underfoot in the apparent rush to build on green space," NPFA Director Elsa Davies said.

"What we have here is a Government that has lost its way, a monitoring organisation that is falling down on the job, and a host of individuals, schools and other organisations who know only too well that land has significant financial value."

The attack is embarrassing since Cassani last week called for youngstersto head to tracks and swimmingpools to start training for the 2012 Games. Britain does not want to be seen arguing as it attempts to persuade the International Olympic Committee to give it the Games when it votes in 2005.

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell has made it clear that grass roots sport must not suffer because of the Games, which should cost £2.6 billion. She plans to meet last week's demonstrators. But Davies said she was keen to talk to Cassani about the issue.

"It is important to highlight the need to provide local people with facilities where the David Beckhams of the future start. Part of the Olympic bid should consider this," she said.

The statistics show a rise in the number of applications to build on playing fields at 1,325 in the year 2002-2003. The NPFA accused Sport England, the Government's agency for grass roots funding, of not raising any objections in 80 per cent of the cases.

But Sport England said the statistics are misleading because they don't show if the applications were successful and what happened afterwards. It says it objects to building in all cases and only backs down if a valid case is made.