Cabinet Meets in Olympic Park; Brown Renews Call for U.K. Soccer Team

Caption: Gordon Brown on the construction site of the 2012 aquatic center with Olympics minister Tessa Jowell, Olympic Delivery Authority chair John Armitt (left) and LOCOG chair Sebastian Coe. (Getty Images)(ATR) Instead of holding it as usual in No10 Downing Street, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown hosted a full meeting of his Cabinet in a Portakabin in London’s Olympic Park Thursday.

It was the latest demonstration of Government support for the 2012 Games and provided an opportunity for ministers to see the rapid progress being made on the $16 billion project.

Brown, accompanied by Olympics minister Tessa Jowell, met construction workers on the site, and promised to investigate complaints that too few locals have managed to find jobs in the park.

One-fifth of the workforce has been drawn from the five “Olympic boroughs”, including Tower Hamlets, the most deprived borough in Britain.

“Our determination is that thousands of jobs are created. The vast majority will go to workers in this country and, where possible, to local people,” Brown said.

England 2018 Includes Olympic Stadium in Bid

Another claim on the future of the Olympic Stadium was made this week, with a London football committee, pitching to be part of England’s bid to stage the 2018 FIFA World Cup, including the $750 million venue in its offer together with Wembley, Arsenal and Tottenham.

“The Olympic Stadium is being put forward as a potential match venue for 2018 and 2022,” said Simon Greenberg, the chairman of the London United committee. “That is clearly subject to a final decision to be made about its capacity – but that decision is likely to post-date our final proposal.”

LOCOG’s legacy plan is to reduce the 80,000 capacity of the Olympic Stadium to a 25,000-seater athletics arena – even though this would render the venue too small even for European or world athletics championships.

To fulfill FIFA requirements, stadiums need at least 40,000 seats for World Cup qualifying group games, or 60,000 for quarter finals and beyond.

“Clearly the Olympic Stadium and Olympic Park would strengthen the bid in a whole variety of ways, including the legacy aspect and also as one of the most modern stadiums in the world,” Greenberg said. “It is a natural to be included in our proposal.”

Tour Script Reflects Changed Outlook

Brown and his ministers had a guided tour of the Olympic Park before the Cabinet meeting, viewing the stadium, aquatics center andBrown chairs a cabinet meeting in a meeting room near the construction site for the London 2012 aquatic center on Thursday. (Getty Images) press center.

Perhaps significantly, official guided tours of the park – as enjoyed by a group of journalists on Wednesday – no longer refer to the stadium’s legacy mode as being as a 25,000-seat athletics arena, but now say that there is the “option” to reduce the stadium capacity from 80,000 seats “to whatever is required in the future”.

Great Britain United Still a Goal for PM

During the visit, Brown said he was disappointed that his native Scotland has refused to embrace Britain's football team for the 2012 Olympics.

Great Britain will enter the Olympic soccer tournament for the first time since 1972, but without players from Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

“There's still time for them to reconsider,” Brown said. “It would be far better if it was the whole U.K. You can understand, and I do understand, their sensitivities ... but this is very special.

“I worked very hard to get Mr Blatter and the FIFA people to say it would not affect Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland's position in the international status that they had, but we were unable to get them on board for this,” Brown said.

Brown Scores Own Goal on Medalists

Interviewed on TV during the visit, Brown reeled off the names of Britain’s Beijing gold medalists - Chris Hoy, Rebecca Adlington, Rebecca Romero, Veronica Singleton… the Prime Minister meant cycling star Victoria Pendleton.

Olympic Park Clean-up Nears Completion

The Olympic Delivery Authority said Friday that the clean-up of the 2.5km2 Olympic Park, much of it contaminated through decades of industrial use, is almost complete and on track to beat its sustainability targets. Work to clean the east London site began three years ago and enabled construction to start on or ahead of schedule on all permanent 2012 venues. The ‘big build’ is now ramping up with venues coming out of the ground and work underway on 21 bridges, roads, a new energy center and other infrastructure projects.

Written by Steven Downes.