Olympic Park Work 83% Complete

Olympics minister Hugh Robertson has said construction work of the Olympic Park in east London is now 83% complete – with the handball arena the latest venue to be finished.

The arena will seat 7,000 people, and is due to become a multi-use sports centre for athletics training and community use after the 2012 Games.

The basketball venue is likely to be the next completed venue – the 12,000-seat venue will also stage wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and the final stages of the handball competition, and is billed as one of the largest temporary venues built for any Olympics.

The 6,000-seat velodrome was also unveiled in February, while the last piece of turf on the stadium’s field was laid in March.

The public sector funding package for the Games has stayed at £9.3bn, however, the estimated costs for the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), in charge of Olympic building and infrastructure, has been cut by £35m to £7.27bn.

Mr Robertson said: ‘We continue to seek value for money and cost savings in our day-to-day running of the project’.