London 2012 Mulls Switching Basketball Venue
London 2012 organisers are reported to be considering proposals to move the venue for the Games’ basketball tournament to Wembley Arena – a scenario that could cut £90m off the 2012 budget.
Under the existing proposals, basketball is set to be staged at a temporary venue inside the central Olympic Park with the finals to be played at The O2 Arena.
However, with organisers looking to decrease the cost of staging the Games by a reported £150m in total in light of the current economic downturn, moving the basketball venue is becoming a crucial consideration.
The plans would see the finals remain at The O2 but move the preliminary rounds switched to Wembley saving costs on building the temporary venue in the Olympic Park.
Alternatives to Wembley Arena include the use of a cheaper ‘flat-pack’ temporary facility or adding basketball to the list of sports currently due to be staged at the ExCel Centre at Albert Dock.
Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell is reported to have commissioned accountants KPMG to review the basketball arena, the shooting venue at Woolwich Barracks and the planned equestrian facilities at Greenwich Park.
The findings of the report are expected to be published later this month but any change of venue would have to be cleared with the International Olympic Committee.
