IOC concerned that all venue plans aren’t finalized for 2012 London Games

IOC concerned about London Olympic venues

COPENHAGEN — The International Olympic Committee is concerned that organizers of the 2012 London Games have yet to finalize plans for all the sports venues.

The IOC’s chief coordinator for the London Games says Wednesday that organizers are making “encouraging progress” overall in their preparations.

But Denis Oswald voiced worries that a venue has yet to be finalized for badminton and rhythmic gymnastics.

“London has still not yet achieved the final masterplan,” said Oswald, who heads the IOC’s coordination commission for the London Olympics. “I have to express the concerns of these two federations that three years before the games, their venue has not yet been finalized,” he said. “We are confident that a solution agreeable for all parties will be found.”

The original plan was the two sports would share a $64 million temporary venue, but that has been dropped to save money.

Instead, the sports are being offered the choice of the existing Wembley Arena in north London or a venue in Barking, which would need to be built and may be temporary.

London organizers pledged the problem would be resolved by the end of the year, when the IOC’s executive board meets.

“We have married all the other sports to all the other venues,” London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe said. “We will resolve this by the end of the year.”

Representatives from the two sports will visit London next week, Coe said.

Coe confirmed that boxing will remain at the ExCel Centre near the main Olympic site in east London. There had been questions about where that sport and shooting would be housed.

Shooting will be held at a military barracks in Greenwich, he said.