Olympic Stadium Could Get Name Change
London’s Olympic Stadium could be set for a name change after the 2012 Games, with the closing ceremony of the Paralympics on 9th September potentially the last time an event is staged in the venue before it is renamed – just four months after it officially opens.
The Olympic Park Legacy Company, which is in charge of securing the stadium’s future after the 2012 Games, is trying to sell the naming rights, with a sponsor is being sought to help cover the cost of converting the 80,000-seat stadium to a 60,000-seat venue.
The OPLC reportedly hopes to have signed a deal by the time a tenant is announced in May and for the downsized stadium to reopen in 2014.
A deal for West Ham United to take over the stadium collapsed in October and now under the new process, launched yesterday, tenants can bid to rent the stadium for between 5 and 99 years.
However, a bid from West Ham is not certain after a supporters group, WHU’s view, claimed to have reached an agreement with the club’s vice-chair Karren Brady to hold a thorough ballot before bidding to move into the Olympic Stadium.
WHU’s view want a written undertaking from their Board for an independently conducted poll of season ticket holders and academy members.
They say the meeting with Brady will take place in the New Year, though interested parties must register online by the end of January if they hope to move into the Olympic Stadium.
