Hearn Hits Out At Olympic Stadium Decision
Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn has criticised the authorities involved in the Olympic Stadium tenancy decision and accused the process of being ‘fundamentally flawed.’
Speaking at the first Nolan Partners Sport Industry Breakfast Club of the year, Hearn spoke of his frustration over the process and said he hoped a judicial review may finish with the club sharing the ground with West Ham.
Disputing the London Legacy Development Corporation’s claim that the decision-making process for the tenancy, which resulted in West Ham being named as the preferred bidder, was ‘robust, fair and transparent’, Hearn insisted: ‘The Olympic Stadium decision has been dreadfully mismanaged from inception to where we are today.
‘The decision-making process is fundamentally flawed.’
Hearn warned that should the decision be upheld, Leyton Orient would struggle to continue to attract fans to matches and, citing the results of an independent review undertaken on behalf of the club, would eventually go out of business. Hearn said he believed allowing Leyton Orient to share the stadium would be the only decision that would be in keeping with the Olympics’ avowed theme of engaging the local community.
‘Everyone thinks it’s about money. It’s not. It’s about survival,’ he added. ‘I believe I have right on my side.’
A wide-ranging interview looking at Matchroom’s extensive portfolio also took in the new deal Hearn has signed with Sky Sports to secure future coverage of darts, and his criticism of the BBC for continuing to label the BDO tournament the World Darts Championships, arguing that the standard of players was incomparable to those on the professional PDC circuit.
Hearn’s plans for snooker, meanwhile, have turned increasingly global, while the entrepreneur insisted ping-pong will be the world’s’next big sport’ – pointing to ‘300 million players and no TV coverage’ as the sure sign of a major opportunity.
