Olympic bid row is just a 'blip'

14 April 2012

Sport England chairman Patrick Carter claimed today that the Olympic bid was back on track following the row over Barbara Cassani's demotion and the departure of two leading figures.

Lord Carter, a member of the London 2012 board and one of British sport's most powerful officials, admitted the last two weeks had been a "blip".

But he said there was enough time to recover ahead of next July's vote by the International Olympic Committee.

"This was probably an okay time to have a blip," he said. "If you consider the history of Olympic bids and the stories they throw up, ours has been pretty steady.

"When we started this process I did not instinctively say we should do it, but I have evaluated as we have gone along and I think we can actually do it. I feel better about the bid than I ever have done."

On Monday Tony Blair threw his support behind bid chairman Sebastian Coe as he outlined his vision for the future of the project at Downing Street. It came after a fortnight of infighting prompted by the decision to demote Lord Coe's predecessor Cassani.

Yesterday London's bid received a further boost when Mayor Ken Livingstone was given a £2.9billion package by the Government to help convince the IOC that the transport infrastructure can meet the demands of the 2012 Games.

But the bid is still looking to reestablish its momentum after the public row between Lord Coe and Cassani loyalist Jane Willacy, the former project manager. PY Gerbeau followed her out of the door last week, resigning as a bid ambassador after the "shocking" treatment of Cassani.

But Lord Carter, who was at Downing Street, claims the transfer of power went well. He said: "The changeover of chairman went remarkably smoothly.

"It was Barbara's decision, she thought it was time to change.

Considering what big personalities there are involved, I think it went smoothly.

"I am happy with Lord Coe's vision. Winning is what it is all about. We have got a great team, a great site and the work has to be done by October."

Lord Carter's role in the bid team mainly concerns Games's facilities but yesterday he welcomed improvements Crystal Palace.

The sports centre has a new running track and other minor refurbishments at a cost of £1.6million, funded by Sport England.

It has been completed in time for next Friday's prestigious Norwich Union London Grand Prix.

Lord Carter believes it will serve as a good interim facility for elite athletes until a new track is built for the Olympics in the East End.

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Olympic bid row is just a 'blip'

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