WEST HAM’S plan to move into the Olympic stadium after the 2012 Games is supported by the vast majority of Londoners, according to a new poll, which leaves Tottenham’s bid way behind.
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In the survey of 1,001 Londoners for BBC London, 72% said the East End side should win the bid, with only 13% backing their north London rivals.
That’s a whacking majority in favour of the Hammers, but while Londoners in general favour West Ham, most West Ham fans don’t want anything to do with the Olympic stadium, fearing its athletics track will ruin the match day atmosphere.
Similarly, most Tottenham fans don’t want to move across London.
Added to that, athletics would be better served by the original post-Olympic plans for the site, which envisaged a 25,000 stadium. The size of West Ham’s proposed ground, at more than double that, would leave most athletics meetings drowned in a sea of empty seats.
That should leave the often forgotten third bidder, ISG, in prime position. ISG has kept its plans away from the eyes of media, but it is thought it wants to keep the 25,000 stadium and use it for big one-off events like pop concerts and American football, as well as athletics.
ISG’s bid doesn’t appear to have been an option in the BBC London poll.
